S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    191
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 9, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to school speed
   limits

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subdivision (a) of section 1620 of the vehicle and traffic
 law, as amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended  to  read
 as follows:
   (a)  The  department  of transportation with respect to state highways
 maintained by the state outside of cities having a population in  excess
 of  one million, and highways on Indian reservations, may by order, rule
 or regulation establish higher or lower maximum speed  limits  at  which
 vehicles may proceed on or along such highways than the fifty-five miles
 per  hour  statutory  maximum  speed  limit. No such maximum speed limit
 shall be established at less than twenty-five  miles  per  hour,  except
 that  school  speed  limits  may be established at not less than fifteen
 miles per hour BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OR BY THE LEGISLATIVE
 BODY OF ANY COUNTY OR, IF SO DELEGATED BY SUCH COUNTY LEGISLATIVE  BODY,
 BY  THE LEGISLATIVE BODY OF ANY MUNICIPALITY LOCATED WITHIN SAID COUNTY,
 for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet,  on
 a  highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abut-
 ting on the highway. Absence of signs installed pursuant to this section
 shall be presumptive evidence that the department of transportation  has
 not  established  a higher maximum speed limit than the fifty-five miles
 per hour statutory limit.
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  563  of  the  laws  of 2002, is amended to read as
 follows:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02687-01-9

 S. 191                              2
 
   1. Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on  or
 along  such  highways higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour
 statutory maximum speed limit. No such limit  shall  be  established  at
 less  than  twenty-five  miles per hour, except that school speed limits
 may  be  established  at  not  less  than  fifteen miles per hour BY THE
 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OR BY THE LEGISLATIVE BODY  OF  ANY  COUNTY
 OR,  IF SO DELEGATED BY SUCH COUNTY LEGISLATIVE BODY, BY THE LEGISLATIVE
 BODY OF ANY MUNICIPALITY LOCATED WITHIN SAID COUNTY, for a distance  not
 to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a
 school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.