NY State Senate Bill 2021-S6907

Senate Bill S6907

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Establishes a no fare program for certain police officers on the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company and the New York City Transit Authority

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to transportation
May 20, 2021	referred to transportation

2021-S6907 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7098
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §1266, Pub Auth L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S2972, A9825

2021-S6907 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the Long Island Rail Road, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, and the New York City Transit Authority establish a no fare program for the transportation of certain active duty, uniform police officers.

2021-S6907 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6907

SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company and the New York city transit
authority establish a no fare program for the transportation of certain
active duty, uniform police officers

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would create no fare programs for transportation on the Long
Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad for police offi-
cers, establish and implement a similar program for transportation on
New York City Transit Authority systems, and establish safeguards for
eligibility for these programs.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Adds the Metro-North Commuter Railroad ("MNR") and the rele-

vant local police commands to the existing statute, Public Authorities
Law § 1266(14), requiring the MTA to establish a no-fare program for
transportation on the Long Island Rail Road ("LIRR") for certain police
officers, thereby codifying the existing MNR program.  Additionally, a
subsequent new subdivision to that section is added requiring the MTA,
in consultation with the New York City Transit Authority ("NYCTA"), to
establish a similar no-fare program for eligible officers in both the
LIRR and MNR programs on NYCTA systems.

Section 2. The act shall take effect thirty days after it has become
law.

 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):

N/A

 
JUSTIFICATION:

While MTA ridership has remained far below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels,
the number of assaults on the subway have significantly increased.
Cover all, the rate of felonies per million riders remains above pre-
pandemic levels. It is imperative that riders can travel safely through-
out the MTA system, particularly at a time when more people are return-
ing to in-person work, school, and other activities. People will
increasingly turn to private cars, taxis, and ride-sharing services to
avoid mass transit if they do not feel it is safe. Providing active-duty
police officers with free rides on the LIRR, Metro-North, and New York
City Transit will encourage these officers to use mass transit to get to
and from work, providing increased police presence on trains. The pres-
ence of officers will deter crime and provide riders with an increased
sense of safety. In addition, restructuring existing programs that
provide free passes to police officers could potentially result in up
$130 million in annual savings to the MTA.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect thirty days after it has become law.

2021-S6907 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6907
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 20, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAYER  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the
   Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company and the New  York  city  transit
   authority  establish  a  no  fare  program  for  the transportation of
   certain active duty, uniform police officers
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  14 of section 1266 of the public authorities
 law, as amended by chapter 182 of the laws of 2013, is amended  to  read
 as follows:
   14.  Notwithstanding  any  other provisions of law or the terms of any
 contract, TO INCREASE PROTECTION AND IMPROVE SAFETY  FOR  ITS  CUSTOMERS
 AND EMPLOYEES, the authority[, in consultation with the Long Island Rail
 Road,]  shall  establish and implement a no fare program for transporta-
 tion on the Long Island Rail Road AND THE METRO-NORTH COMMUTER  RAILROAD
 for TRAINED AND SWORN police officers [employed by the city of New York,
 county  of Nassau, Nassau county villages and cities, county of Suffolk,
 Suffolk county villages and towns,] IN GOOD  STANDING  WITH  ACTIVE  LAW
 ENFORCEMENT  RESPONSIBILITIES WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY ANY COUNTY, TOWN, CITY
 OR VILLAGE IN THE METROPOLITAN  COMMUTER  TRANSPORTATION  DISTRICT,  the
 division  of  state  police,  AND the port authority of New York and New
 Jersey[, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, the  New  York  city
 housing  authority  and  the New York city transit authority]. In estab-
 lishing such program, [which has as its goal  increased  protection  and
 improved  safety  for its commuters,] the authority [and the Long Island
 Rail Road] shall, among other things, consider: (a)  requiring  [police]
 SUCH  officers  [who ride without cost] to register with the Long Island
 Rail Road AND THE METRO-NORTH COMMUTER RAILROAD COMPANY as  a  condition
 of  riding without cost; (b) requiring such officers WHEN REGISTERING to
 [indicate during such registration process] STATE their regular  working
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD10989-06-1

 S. 6907                             2
 
 hours  and  the [Long Island Rail Road] trains that such officers expect
 to ride; [and] (c) [periodically] ANNUALLY re-registering [and  re-vali-
 dating]  such  officers;  AND (D) REQUIRING SUCH OFFICERS TO PRESENT LAW
 ENFORCEMENT  IDENTIFICATION  ALONG WITH ANY PASS THE AUTHORITY MAY ISSUE
 IN RELATION TO THIS PROGRAM. The authority [and  the  Long  Island  Rail
 Road]  shall  also have the power to consider other matters necessary to
 carry out the goals and objectives of this section.    NOTHING  IN  THIS
 SUBDIVISION SHALL LIMIT THE AUTHORITY FROM PROVIDING NO FARE TRANSPORTA-
 TION ON ANY OF ITS SUBWAYS, BUSES OR COMMUTER TRAINS FOR POLICE OFFICERS
 EMPLOYED  BY  THE CITY OF NEW YORK OR FOR POLICE OFFICERS OR PEACE OFFI-
 CERS EMPLOYED BY THE AUTHORITY OR ITS AFFILIATES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.

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