NY State Senate Bill 2021-S7491

Senate Bill S7491

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Relates to directing the metropolitan transportation authority to establish a student fare program

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

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to transportation
Oct 29, 2021	referred to rules

2021-S7491 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:: Add §1266-l, Pub Auth L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S759

2021-S7491 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the metropolitan transportation authority to establish a student fare program to provide three free fares each weekday to New York city students who live a half mile or more from the school they attend.

2021-S7491 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7491

SPONSOR: LIU
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to directing the
metropolitan transportation authority to establish a student fare
program

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the public authorities law by adding a new section
1266-1 to establish a student fare program to provide three free fares
between 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM on weekdays to K-12 students in New York
City living half a mile or more away from their school

Section 2 provides the effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Some New York City Students are eligible for specific MetroCards from
their school, which permits them to travel to & back from school & other

school-related events free of cost. Thanks to a collaboration between
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the NYC Department of
Education.

However, based on input from NYC students & their families expressing
the program does not currently serve them effectively, this Act requires
the MTA to extend the eligible usage hours for student MetroCards from
now only 5:30 AM until 8:30 PM to instead 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM.

This legislation is based on first-hand accounts of NYC's diverse
student population for whom the current program doesn't meet their
needs. This was also indicated In a recent survey of 881 NYC students,
where 73.2% responded that they take part in afterschool activities that
require public transit after 8:30 pm.

Thus current time restraints placed on student MetroCards uninten-
tionally limit opportunity, particularly for students with longer
commutes & complex schedules. It is a continued objective of the city &
state to provide free transportation to students to and from school and
school-related activities. Therefore this legislation ensures that goal
is better met by recognizing that many students' extracurricular activ-
ities & commutes require transportation outside of the current hours of
5:30 AM and 8:30 PM.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First July 15th after becoming law.

2021-S7491 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7491
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             October 29, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LIU  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to directing the
   metropolitan transportation authority  to  establish  a  student  fare
   program

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public authorities law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 section 1266-l to read as follows:
   § 1266-L. STUDENT FARE PROGRAM. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF
 LAW  TO  THE  CONTRARY,  THE  AUTHORITY  SHALL  ESTABLISH A STUDENT FARE
 PROGRAM. SUCH PROGRAM SHALL PROVIDE THREE FREE FARES BETWEEN  5:00  A.M.
 AND  10:00  P.M. EACH WEEKDAY FOR EVERY STUDENT IN A CITY HAVING A POPU-
 LATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE WHO ATTENDS KINDERGARTEN  THROUGH  TWELFTH
 GRADE  AND  WHO RESIDES A HALF MILE OR MORE FROM THE SCHOOL SUCH STUDENT
 ATTENDS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
 addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are  authorized
 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11992-01-1

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