RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina has adopted a law aimed at stopping anyone registered under the state sex offender and public protection programs from driving a commercial passenger vehicle or school bus.

The legislation prohibits the state DMV from issuing or renewing a commercial drivers license -- with a passenger or school bus endorsement -- to convicted sex offenders and other bad guys.

The measure is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, and some in the motorcoach industry believe it could serve as a model for similar laws across the U.S. where activists continue to push for stronger statutes to keep convicted sex offenders away from children, including on buses.

The North Carolina law was instigated and pushed through the state General Assembly by the North Carolina Motorcoach Association.

Association President Jim Harris of Cardinal Coach in Warsaw, N.C., said the impetus came at a meeting of the Southeastern Regional Motorcoach Operators Association.

During the meeting, operators from Florida were commenting on the onerous hoops they were being forced to jump through to comply with rules that grew out of Floridas famous Jessicas Law, which is designed to punish sex offenders and reduce their ability to re-offend.

The rules are costing Florida operators thousands of dollars and hundreds of manhours to get drivers the documentation needed to transport children.

"I realized," said Harris, "we do not have a law (in North Carolina) that prohibits sex offenders and (others convicted of serious crimes) from getting a CDL with a P (passenger) or S (school) endorsement.

So, Harris returned home determined to get his state legislature moving on a path toward adopting a law that would prohibit sex offenders and other miscreants from getting a commercial license with a P or S endorsement.

In the back of Harris mind, of course, was the horror stories he had heard from the Florida operators, the proximity of Florida to North Carolina and the possibility of the nightmare forced on Florida operators being repeated in North Carolina.

Harris was fortunate he has a lifelong friend whos a member of the North Carolina House and he went to him with his idea for a law. He got a welcome reception, and soon Rep. Russell Tucker was drafting a bill.

The early version, said Harris, was pretty cumbersome but the law that was adopted and signed by the governor is relatively simple, straight-forward and no-nonsense. (Find a copy of the law on the N.C. General Assembly website. Go to www.ncleg.net and look for the "Find Bills by Number" box on the right side of the home page. Enter HB1117 in the box. Click on Go.)

As of Dec. 1, it prohibits the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles from renewing or issuing a CDL, with a P or S endorsement, to any person who is a registered sex offender or required to register under the state public protection program.

The prohibition lasts as long as the person is required to maintain his or her registration.

The law even provides for punishment for individuals who dont have a CDL because they are registered and they drive a passenger or school bus anyway.

A number of other scenarios also are covered by the law, and felony convictions can result from violations.

Rep. Tucker got support in the state Senate for his bill from Sens. Tony Rand and Fletcher Hartsell. Another key player was the North Carolina Motorcoach Associations lobbyist, Gene Causby.

"We hope the North Carolina law will become a model when it comes it issuing CDLs (with P and S endorsements)," said Harris.

"We want to get started in other states," added Ken Presley, vice president of the United Motorcoach Association.