Bill Text: NY S03931 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to the interagency coordinating committee on rural public transportation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-01-08 - PRINT NUMBER 3931A [S03931 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S03931-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3931--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 30, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sens.  O'MARA, GALLIVAN, YOUNG -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Trans-
          portation -- recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in accord-
          ance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT  to amend the transportation law, in relation to the interagency
          coordinating committee on rural public transportation
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 73-d of the transportation law, as amended by chap-
     2  ter 562 of the laws of 1987, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 73-d. Interagency coordinating committee on rural public transporta-
     4  tion. 1. There is hereby created a committee to be known as the "intera-
     5  gency  coordinating  committee  on  rural  public transportation", to be
     6  comprised of nineteen members. The commissioner or his or  her  designee
     7  shall  serve as chairperson. Twelve of such members shall be the follow-
     8  ing or his or her duly designated representative: the  director  of  the
     9  office for the aging; the commissioner of education; the commissioner of
    10  labor;  the  commissioner  of  health; the commissioner of the office of
    11  mental  health;  the  commissioner  of  the  office  of  alcoholism  and
    12  substance  abuse;  the commissioner of the office [of mental retardation
    13  and] for people with developmental  disabilities;  the  commissioner  of
    14  [social services; state advocate for the disabled] the office for tempo-
    15  rary  and  disability assistance; the executive director of the New York
    16  state justice center for the protection of people  with  special  needs;
    17  the  secretary  of  state; the commissioner of agriculture and markets[;
    18  the director of the office of rural affairs] and the  [director  of  the
    19  division  for  youth]  commissioner of the office of children and family
    20  services. Six additional members, all of whom  shall  be  transportation
    21  providers or consumers representing rural counties shall be appointed to
    22  serve  a  term of three years as follows: two by the [president pro-tem-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07114-05-8
        S. 3931--A                          2

     1  pore] temporary president of the senate,  two  by  the  speaker  of  the
     2  assembly,  one  by  the  minority  leader  of the senate, and one by the
     3  minority leader of the assembly. Efforts shall  be  made  to  provide  a
     4  broad  representation  of  consumers  and  providers  of  transportation
     5  services in rural counties when making such appointments.   [Members  of
     6  the committee shall receive no salary.] The six members appointed by the
     7  legislature,  as  well as the commissioner or his or her designee, shall
     8  be the voting members. The balance of the committee  will  serve  in  an
     9  advisory  or  consulting  capacity. The committee shall keep a record of
    10  its official actions.
    11    The commissioner shall cause the department to provide  staff  assist-
    12  ance  necessary for the efficient and effective operation of the commit-
    13  tee.
    14    2. The committee shall[:] meet at least once every  three  months  and
    15  shall  report to the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of
    16  the senate, and the governor  annually,  beginning  October  first,  two
    17  thousand eighteen. The annual report shall:
    18    a.  identify existing rural transportation systems and provide data on
    19  ridership, revenue, and financial challenges for each system;
    20    b. identify rural populations currently utilizing  public  transporta-
    21  tion,  as  well  as populations in need of public transportation without
    22  access,  and  discuss  recommendations  for  maintaining  and  expanding
    23  services;
    24    c. include a breakdown by county of cost savings, modes of transporta-
    25  tion  provided  to Medicaid patients, and rates of utilization of public
    26  transportation by Medicaid patients;
    27    d. identify programs and the annual amounts and sources of funds  from
    28  such  programs  that  are  eligible  to be used to support a coordinated
    29  public transportation service, and the annual  amounts  and  sources  of
    30  such  funds  that  are  actually  used  for client transportation or for
    31  transportation of persons in connection with agency-affiliated  programs
    32  or services; such data shall be provided on a county basis;
    33    [b.]  e. identify restrictions on existing programs that inhibit funds
    34  from such programs being used to pay for a coordinated public  transpor-
    35  tation service in rural counties;
    36    [c.]  f.  recommend changes in state or local laws or regulations that
    37  would improve the coordination of funds, facilities, vehicles or  equip-
    38  ment and other resources used for transportation at the local level[;
    39    d.  upon  request, compile and forward to the commissioner any data or
    40  other information required by this section].
    41    3. The committee shall be  required  to  examine  reimbursement  rates
    42  developed  by  transportation  managers  pursuant to subdivision four of
    43  section three hundred sixty-five-h of the social services law for  coun-
    44  ties  with  a  population of two hundred thousand or less. The committee
    45  shall submit recommendations for proposed and effective rates for  rural
    46  communities  to  the commissioner of health with recommendations includ-
    47  ing, but not limited to, adjustments to individual ridership  fares  for
    48  public transportation utilization, rates for low-cost coordinated trans-
    49  portation  with  other  human  service  agencies,  and rates for private
    50  transportation with considerations of availability and cost savings.
    51    The commissioner of health shall consult with the committee  prior  to
    52  approval  of  rates  proposed  under  subdivision  four of section three
    53  hundred sixty-five-h of the social services  law  for  counties  with  a
    54  population  of  two  hundred  thousand  or less. Any proposal for a rate
    55  adjustment for rural communities after approval shall be examined by the
    56  committee prior to approval by the commissioner.
        S. 3931--A                          3
     1    4. A majority of the whole number of voting members of  the  committee
     2  shall  constitute  a quorum for the transaction of the committee's busi-
     3  ness. The committee shall have the power to act by a  majority  vote  of
     4  the  voting  members.  Committee  members  shall hold office until their
     5  successors  have  been  appointed  and  have qualified. The selection of
     6  successors to fill a vacancy shall be made in the same manner  in  which
     7  the retiring committee members shall have been selected.  Members of the
     8  committee  shall  receive  no salary or other compensation, but shall be
     9  entitled to their actual and  necessary  expenses,  including  traveling
    10  expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.
    11    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.