Bill Text: NY S08119 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to paratransit services within the state and city of New York during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-06-17 - VETOED MEMO.54 [S08119 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08119-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8119--A

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 23, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation --  commit-
          tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
          mitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the  transportation  law,  in  relation  to  paratransit
          services  within the state and city of New York during the coronavirus
          disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. Subdivision 5 of section 15-b of the transportation law is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph c to read as follows:
     3    c. (1) (a) The eligibility of  all  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act
     4  paratransit  eligible  customers,  whose  certification  would otherwise
     5  expire between March first, two thousand twenty and  July  thirty-first,
     6  two  thousand twenty, shall be extended through August thirty-first, two
     7  thousand twenty.
     8    (b) Each contractor providing paratransit services shall render eligi-
     9  bility determinations for any application for Americans  with  Disabili-
    10  ties  Act  paratransit  submitted before July thirty-first, two thousand
    11  twenty, based on the application  and  submitted  medical  documentation
    12  alone, until August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    13    (c)  For the period ending July thirty-first, two thousand twenty, all
    14  contractors providing paratransit services shall suspend all paratransit
    15  shared rides and shall instead dispatch and route individual paratransit
    16  trips, to the maximum extent possible. Customers shall  be  notified  in
    17  advance in the event that their ride will be shared with another custom-
    18  er,  and  such  customers  shall  have the right to refuse or reschedule
    19  shared rides without penalty.
    20    (d) All contractors providing paratransit services in the city of  New
    21  York  shall  ensure that all paratransit drivers and personnel providing
    22  paratransit services are provided with hand sanitizer, disposable  ster-
    23  ile  gloves, and training on preventive measures to protect both custom-
    24  ers and drivers from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases,  consistent

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16013-03-0
        S. 8119--A                          2

     1  with  current center for disease control and department of health guide-
     2  lines.
     3    (2)  Any  contractor  providing  paratransit services is authorized to
     4  extend any date set forth in clause (a), (b) or (c) of subparagraph  one
     5  of  this  paragraph, if, in the interest of the health and safety of the
     6  public due to the coronavirus disease  2019  (COVID-19)  pandemic,  such
     7  contractor deems such extension to be necessary.
     8    §  2.  Subdivision  5  of  section  15-c  of the transportation law is
     9  amended by adding a new paragraph e to read as follows:
    10    e. (1) (a) The eligibility of  all  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act
    11  paratransit  eligible  customers,  whose  certification  would otherwise
    12  expire between March first, two thousand twenty and  July  thirty-first,
    13  two  thousand twenty, shall be extended through August thirty-first, two
    14  thousand twenty.
    15    (b) Each transportation provider providing paratransit services  shall
    16  render eligibility determinations for any application for Americans with
    17  Disabilities  Act  paratransit  submitted  before July thirty-first, two
    18  thousand twenty, based on the application and submitted medical documen-
    19  tation alone, until August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    20    (c) For the period ending July thirty-first, two thousand twenty,  all
    21  transportation  providers  providing  paratransit services shall suspend
    22  all paratransit shared rides and shall instead dispatch and route  indi-
    23  vidual  paratransit  trips,  to  the  maximum extent possible. Customers
    24  shall be notified in advance in the event that their ride will be shared
    25  with another customer, and such customers shall have the right to refuse
    26  or reschedule shared rides without penalty.
    27    (d) All transportation providers  providing  paratransit  services  in
    28  this  state  shall  ensure  that  all  paratransit drivers and personnel
    29  providing paratransit services are provided with hand sanitizer, dispos-
    30  able sterile gloves, and training on preventive measures to protect both
    31  customers and drivers  from  COVID-19  and  other  infectious  diseases,
    32  consistent  with  current  center  for disease control and department of
    33  health guidelines.
    34    (2) Any transportation  provider  providing  paratransit  services  is
    35  authorized  to  extend  any  date set forth in clause (a), (b) or (c) of
    36  subparagraph one of this paragraph, if, in the interest  of  the  health
    37  and  safety of the public due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
    38  pandemic, such transportation provider deems such extension to be neces-
    39  sary.
    40    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.