ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers passed a bill unanimously Tuesday in the Senate and House – HB 459 – which will require school bus drivers to be vetted twice a year by the Department of Public Safety.

HB 459 would require Georgia school districts to submit the names and drivers license number of all school bus drivers before they are allowed to operate a school bus, creating a registry.

Verification of the status of each person’s drivers license, and notification of local school boards if a drivers license is expired, canceled, suspended or revoked would be mandatory.

Local school board would have to update this registry twice yearly.

Current laws in Georgia require local school boards to run background checks and fingerprint drivers prior to hiring them and each is responsible for creating their own hiring policies.

If Governor Brian Kemp signs the new bill, school boards will be required to suspend any drivers who have invalid licenses.