Bill Text: NY A01083 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to establishing a task force on safety in school transportation.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to education [A01083 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A01083-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1083 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, SEPULVEDA, STIRPE, BARRON, SOLAGES, WILLIAMS, M. G. MILLER, TITONE, MAGNARELLI, JEAN-PIERRE, ROZIC, HYND- MAN, KIM, O'DONNELL, TITUS, BLAKE, JOYNER, MURRAY, SEAWRIGHT, DiPIE- TRO, WALKER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, CROUCH, MAGEE, MOSLEY, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a task force on safety in school transportation The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3638 2 to read as follows: 3 § 3638. Task force on safety in school transportation. 1. There is 4 hereby created a task force with the purpose of promoting safety in 5 school transportation. 6 2. The task force should consist of eighteen members, including the 7 commissioner, ex officio, or a designee; the commissioner of transporta- 8 tion, ex officio, or a designee; the commissioner of the department of 9 motor vehicles, ex officio, or a designee; the director of the office of 10 traffic safety and mobility, ex officio, or a designee; and fourteen 11 members to be appointed by the governor. The members appointed by the 12 governor should include: one school district transportation coordinator; 13 one representative of the school administrators association; one repre- 14 sentative of the empire state supervisors and administrators associ- 15 ation; one representative of New York state united teachers; one repre- 16 sentative of the New York state school boards association; one 17 representative of the New York state association of school business 18 officials; one representative of the New York state school bus contrac- 19 tors association; one representative of the New York association for 20 pupil transportation; one representative of youth camps who is a member 21 of the state camp advisory council; three parents or guardians of 22 students including at least one parent of a student receiving special EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02194-01-7A. 1083 2 1 education services; one public member who shall have knowledge and 2 expertise in ensuring safety in school transportation; and one public 3 member who shall be an expert on the safety equipment available in 4 school transportation vehicles. 5 3. It shall be the duty of the task force to study issues associated 6 with student safety in school transportation. The task force shall: 7 a. review existing state laws, regulations, and programs that address 8 school bus safety, and make recommendations for their improvement, 9 including any recommendations necessary to ensure that the pedestrian 10 safety record is routinely reviewed by an appropriate state office; 11 b. examine the possibility of requiring a state department or office 12 to conduct a biannual review of all aspects of school bus safety and to 13 issue recommendations for additional action or oversight, as appropri- 14 ate; 15 c. develop a plan to phase in any school bus safety measures recom- 16 mended by the task force through retrofitting and prospective vehicle 17 purchases, and identify the potential application of vehicle sensor 18 technology to improve school bus safety; 19 d. identify best practices for the designation of school bus stops; 20 e. review the current safety status of students who walk to and from 21 school and identify strategies that support safe pedestrian behavior by 22 students between their homes and schools, including as they walk to and 23 from bus stops and board and exit buses; 24 f. identify safety protocols to be followed by school bus drivers and 25 school bus aides, including safeguards to ensure that protocols are 26 followed when a substitute driver or school bus aide is assigned to a 27 school bus; 28 g. develop recommendations to curb illegal passing of school buses; 29 and 30 h. determine if there is a need for additional public education 31 programs that promote school bus safety. 32 4. All appointments to the task force shall be made within thirty days 33 of the effective date of this section. Vacancies in the membership of 34 the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original 35 appointments were made. The members of the task force shall serve with- 36 out compensation but may be reimbursed, within the limits of funds made 37 available to the task force, for necessary expenses incurred in the 38 performance of their duties. 39 5. The task force shall organize as soon as is practical upon the 40 appointment of a majority of its members. The task force shall appoint a 41 secretary who need not be a member. The task force shall select a chair 42 from among its members. 43 6. The department shall provide staff and related support services to 44 the task force. The task force shall also be entitled to call upon the 45 services of any state, county, or municipal department, board, commis- 46 sion or agency, as may be available to it for these purposes, and to 47 incur such traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as it may deem 48 necessary for the proper execution of its duties and as may be within 49 the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for 50 these purposes. The task force may meet and hold hearings at such places 51 as it shall designate. 52 7. The task force shall present a report of its findings and recommen- 53 dations to the governor and to the legislature no later than twelve 54 months after its organization and shall cease to exist upon submitting 55 such report and recommendations. 56 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.