Pima County's top prosecutor touts new AZ law targeting bus driver assaults

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover cited safety concerns she raised on behalf of Tucson bus drivers that led to Gov. Katie Hobbs signing a bill into law last week,

HB 2742 allows prosecutors across Arizona to level a felony endangerment charge in assault cases against major transport vehicle operators, including buses, trains and airport equipment, the Pima County Attorney's Office said recently in a news release.

The idea for the bill arose in late 2022 when Tucson bus drivers and their union leadership told Conover about assaults drivers faced.

"Luckily, most of these handful of assaults had only resulted in minor injury, but the danger to the passengers, the driver and the public out on the streets surrounding the bus was profound," Conover said in the release.

The original text of the bill was drafted after further consultations drivers, their union, police and prosecutors, the release said.