BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana schoolchildren will be allowed to carry bulletproof backpacks to class, under a bill expected to become law.

The Senate gave the proposal final passage with a 25-1 vote Wednesday.

Bill sponsor Sen. Mike Walsworth, a West Monroe Republican, says the bags could protect students if a shooter is on campus. Current law forbids the wearing of body armor at schools.

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards says the governor is expected to sign the measure. The backpack proposal was one of about two dozen gun bills filed this year, mostly stemming from the February shooting at a Florida high school where 17 people were killed.

Democrats proposed gun restrictions, while Republicans advocated for loosening firearm rules. Most of the measures were unsuccessful.