Bill Text: NY A09355 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Relates to establishing a task force on safety in school transportation.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 34-3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-06-10 - print number 9355b [A09355 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-A09355-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9355--B IN ASSEMBLY February 25, 2016 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, SEPULVEDA, STIRPE, BARRON, SOLAGES, MILL- ER, BRENNAN, WILLIAMS, TITONE, MAGNARELLI, JEAN-PIERRE, ROZIC, HYND- MAN, KIM, NOLAN, O'DONNELL, TITUS, ARROYO, ENGLEBRIGHT, HOOPER, RYAN, CRESPO, OTIS, MAYER, SIMON, BLAKE, JOYNER, MURRAY, SEAWRIGHT, DiPIE- TRO, WALKER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CANCEL, COOK, CROUCH, MAGEE, MOSLEY, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommit- ted to said committee 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 shall consist of the commissioner or his or her 7 designee, the commissioner of transportation or his or her designee, the 8 commissioner of the department of motor vehicles or his or her designee 9 and eleven members to be appointed by the commissioner in accordance 10 with subdivision three of this section. 11 3. Pursuant to subdivision two of this section, there shall be eleven 12 members appointed by the commissioner of whom one member shall be a 13 school district transportation manager, director or supervisor; one 14 member shall be a representative of a local school board; one member 15 shall be a school administrator; one member shall be a school business 16 official or other related title; one member shall be a school bus 17 contractor; one member shall be a school bus driver, monitor or attend- 18 ant; three members shall be parents or guardians of students including 19 at least one parent of a student receiving special education services; 20 one member shall be a public member who shall have knowledge and exper- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13449-06-6A. 9355--B 2 1 tise in ensuring safety in school transportation; and one member shall 2 be a public member who shall be an expert on the safety equipment avail- 3 able in school transportation vehicles. 4 4. It shall be the duty of the task force to study issues associated 5 with student safety in school transportation. The task force shall: 6 a. review existing federal, state and local laws, regulations, and 7 programs that address school bus safety, and make recommendations for 8 the improvement of state laws, including any recommendations necessary 9 to ensure that the pedestrian safety record is routinely reviewed by an 10 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 recommendations related to school bus safety measures which 16 may require retrofitting and prospective vehicle purchases, and recom- 17 mendations related to the potential application of vehicle sensor tech- 18 nology 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 5. 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 6. The task force shall commence its duties as soon as is practical 40 upon the appointment of a majority of its members. The task force shall 41 appoint a secretary who need not be a member. The task force shall 42 select a chair from among its members. 43 7. The department may provide staff and related support services to 44 the task force. The task force may meet and hold hearings at such places 45 as it shall designate. 46 8. The task force shall present a report of its findings and recommen- 47 dations to the governor and to the temporary president of the senate and 48 speaker of the assembly no later than twelve months after its commence- 49 ment and shall cease to exist upon submitting such report and recommen- 50 dations. 51 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
