Bill Text: NY S07421 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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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

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                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 mental
    13  retardation 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 [director
    19  of 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.
                                                                   LBD14245-01-8
        S. 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 from
    32  such programs being used to pay for a coordinated public  transportation
    33  service in rural counties;
    34    c.]  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.