BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The state Senate on Thursday will hold a public hearing to address limousine and bus safety.
The public hearing comes in the wake of the crash on Schoharie, New York last year that resulted in the deaths of 20 people.
"I think the meeting is going to be very emotional," State Senator Tim Kennedy told WBEN. "This is the first time that many of these families are going to be speaking publicly. It's important that we hear from them that we take into consideration the horrific losses that our communities have felt. The worst part about all of this is that, besides the loss of life in Schoharie County, there have been other limousine crashes across the state in Long Island and across the country. We have to take steps to improve the safety standards."
READ MORE: 20 DEAD AFTER A CRASH IN SCHOHARIE COUNTY
Some of the new regulations for the limousine industry include increased penalties for violating safety rules and changes to the insurance policy. Kevin Barwell, the President of the Limousine Bus Taxi Operators of Upstate New York, said these fines include illegal inspections or sticker tampering.
"A lot of these regulations we have no problem with," he said while noting that language of some of the new regulations are questionable.
He said there is "not yet" an egregious safety regulation but he said he wouldn't doubt something like that happens.
Kennedy said they want to go after the "bad actors" in the limousine industry and that those companies are taken off the road.