Bill Text: NY S07421 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to the appointees to the interagency coordinating committee on rural public transportation, and transportation of eligible persons residing in a rural area.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 8-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-06-20 - RECOMMITTED TO RULES [S07421 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S07421-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7421 IN SENATE January 17, 2018 ___________ Introduced by Sen. O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to the interagency coordinating committee on rural public transportation; and to amend the social services law, in relation to the transportation of eligible persons residing in a rural area 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 services; the commissioner of the office [of mental13retardation and] for people with developmental disabilities; the commis- 14 sioner of [social services; state advocate for the disabled] the office 15 for temporary and disability assistance; the executive director of the 16 New York state justice center for the protection of people with special 17 needs; the secretary of state; the commissioner of agriculture and 18 markets[; the director of the office of rural affairs] and the [director19of the division for youth] commissioner of the office of children and 20 family services. Six additional members, [all] five of whom shall be 21 transportation providers or consumers representing rural counties and 22 one shall be a representative of a labor union affiliated with public 23 transportation systems receiving public transportation systems operating 24 assistance account funds, shall be appointed to serve a term of three 25 years as follows: two by the [president pro-tempore] temporary president 26 of the senate, two by the speaker of the assembly, one by the minority EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD14245-01-8S. 7421 2 1 leader of the senate, and one by the minority leader of the assembly. 2 Efforts shall be made to provide a broad representation of consumers and 3 providers of transportation services in rural counties when making such 4 appointments. [Members of the committee shall receive no salary.] The 5 six members appointed by the legislature, as well as the commissioner or 6 his or her designee, shall be the voting members. The balance of the 7 committee will serve in an advisory or consulting capacity. The commit- 8 tee shall keep a record of its official actions. 9 The commissioner shall cause the department to provide staff assist- 10 ance necessary for the efficient and effective operation of the commit- 11 tee. 12 2. The committee shall[:] meet at least once every three months and 13 shall report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and 14 the speaker of the assembly annually, beginning October first, two thou- 15 sand eighteen. The annual report shall: 16 a. identify existing rural transportation systems and provide data on 17 ridership, revenue, and financial challenges for each system; 18 b. identify rural populations currently utilizing public transporta- 19 tion, as well as populations in need of public transportation without 20 access, and discuss recommendations for maintaining and expanding 21 services; 22 c. include a breakdown by county of cost savings, modes of transporta- 23 tion provided to Medicaid patients, and rates of utilization of public 24 transportation by Medicaid patients; 25 d. identify programs and the annual amounts and sources of funds from 26 such programs that are eligible to be used to support a coordinated 27 public transportation service, and the annual amounts and sources of 28 such funds that are actually used for client transportation or for 29 transportation of persons in connection with agency-affiliated programs 30 or services; such data shall be provided on a county basis; 31 [b. identify restrictions on existing programs that inhibit funds from32such programs being used to pay for a coordinated public transportation33service in rural counties;34c.] e. recommend changes in state or local laws or regulations that 35 would improve the coordination of funds, facilities, vehicles or equip- 36 ment and other resources used for transportation at the local level; 37 [d.] f. upon request, compile and forward to the commissioner any data 38 or other information required by this section. 39 3. A majority of the whole number of voting members of the committee 40 shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the committee's busi- 41 ness. The committee shall have the power to act by a majority vote of 42 the voting members. Committee members shall hold office until their 43 successors have been appointed and have qualified. The selection of 44 successors to fill a vacancy shall be made in the same manner in which 45 the retiring committee members shall have been selected. Members of the 46 committee shall receive no salary or other compensation, but shall be 47 entitled to their actual and necessary expenses, including traveling 48 expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties. 49 § 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 4 of section 365-h of the 50 social services law is designated paragraph (a) and a new paragraph (b) 51 is added to read as follows: 52 (b) Where the commissioner of health elects to assume such responsi- 53 bility from a local social services district authorized transportation 54 for an eligible person, whose originating location exists within a coun- 55 ty defined as a rural area pursuant to subdivision seven of section four 56 hundred eighty-one of the executive law, shall be assigned to an exist-S. 7421 3 1 ing public transportation system, as defined in subdivision one of 2 section eighteen-b of the transportation law, if that system provides an 3 appropriate, available and least expensive mode of transportation. A 4 county defined as a rural area pursuant to subdivision seven of section 5 four hundred eighty-one of the executive law may opt out of such 6 election by the commissioner of health by notifying such commissioner in 7 writing. 8 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 9 section two of this act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it 10 shall have become a law and that the amendments to subdivision 4 of 11 section 365-h of the social services law, made by section two of this 12 act, shall not affect the expiration and repeal of such section, and 13 shall expire and be deemed repealed therewith.
