Fla. Senate Passes New Booster Seat Requirements

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBSMiami.com/NSF) – The Florida Senate Transportation Committee has passed a bill that will require booster seats for kids between the ages of four and seven, according to the News Service of Florida.

The proposal was passed by the Senate in 2011, but stalled in the Florida House of Representatives.

The bill, SB196, would amend current state law that requires car seats for kids under age 5. Current law does allow some four-year-olds to use a seat belt as well.

The bill comes as the National Highway Transportation Safety Board begins a national push for all states to require kids sit in a booster seat until the age of seven, unless the child is taller than 4'9".

According to the News Service of Florida, the legislature passed a similar law in 2001 only to see Governor Jeb Bush veto it saying it might hurt low-income families and tourists and that it was an overreach by the government.

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