NY State Senate Bill 2023-S9703

Current 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

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 22, 2024	referred to transportation

co-Sponsors

View additional co-sponsors

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4165
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Transportation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§15-b & 15-c, Transp L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S6027
2019-2020: S510, A8515
2021-2022: S5092, A3181

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires accessible buses to be available within a service area measuring three miles from any bus line of the authority or its subsidiaries.

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9703

SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the transportation law, in relation to the service area
for paratransit transportation

 
PURPOSE:

To provide people with disabilities the ability to be more integrated in
the communities in which they live and conduct their daily activities.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Subdivision 4 section 15-b and 15-c of the transportation law is amended
to make accessible buses available within a service area measuring three
miles from any bus line of the authority and its subsidiaries.'

 
JUSTIFICATION:

"Though people with disabilities live in every community, our transpor-
tation policy has undermined the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA)
promise of equal opportunity in transportation for people with disabili-
ties, resulting in isolation from jobs, housing, health care, and educa-
tion. As political leaders we most take into consideration the needs of
people with disabilities. People with disabilities make up about 6
million (40 percent) of the almost 15 million people in this country who
have difficulties getting the transportation they need. Because many
people with disabilities do not have the option to drive cars, lack of
access to other modes of transportation disproportionately harms them.
About 560,000 people with disabilities never leave home because of
transportation difficulties."

http://www.civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/transportation/transportation-and
disabilities-v%205-2.pdf

The stated goal of the Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527
U.S. 581 (1999), is to integrate people with disabilities into the
community. More restrictive transportation policies and restrictions on
routes of serve for people with disabilities affects their ability to
become fully integrated in the community.  This bill is a significant
step in complying with the provisions of Olmstead and helping many
people who are marginalized and restricted in their ability to interact
with services and members of the community.

This bill will help make a difference to increase health care access and
reduce isolation for adults and children in the broader community.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2018: S6027 Referred to Senate Transportation Committee

2019-20: S510

2021-22: S.5092

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9703
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 22, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  COONEY,  ADDABBO, ASHBY, BORRELLO, BROUK, CLEARE,
   GALLIVAN, GOUNARDES, HINCHEY, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, MANNION,  MARTINEZ,  MAY,
   MYRIE,  ORTT,  PALUMBO, ROLISON, WEBER, WEIK -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Trans-
   portation
 
 AN  ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to the service area
   for paratransit transportation

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 15-b of the transportation law, as
 amended  by  chapter  385  of  the  laws  of 1985, is amended to read as
 follows:
   4. Accessible buses. The system shall include access by transportation
 disabled persons, including persons in wheelchairs,  to  not  less  than
 sixty-five  percent  of  buses  in  the  regularly operated fleet of the
 authority, which shall be properly operated and maintained to facilitate
 their use by transportation disabled persons. To  meet  this  sixty-five
 percent  requirement,  all buses purchased, leased, or otherwise brought
 newly into service on the bus lines of the  authority  and  its  subsid-
 iaries,  except  buses  leased  or otherwise put into service to relieve
 temporary, unplanned shortages of buses in service, shall be  accessible
 to transportation disabled persons until the sixty-five percent require-
 ment  is met.  ACCESSIBLE BUSES SHALL BE AVAILABLE WITHIN A SERVICE AREA
 MEASURING THREE MILES FROM ANY BUS LINE OF THE AUTHORITY AND ITS SUBSID-
 IARIES.
   § 2. Subdivision 4 of section 15-c of the transportation law, as added
 by chapter 61 of the laws of 1990, is amended to read as follows:
   4. Required level of fixed-route accessibility. a. Each transportation
 provider shall provide access to one hundred percent of  its  regularly-
 operated  buses  that  provide  local, fixed-route service. To implement
 this requirement on and after the effective date of  this  section,  all
 buses  purchased,  leased  or  otherwise brought into service on the bus
 lines of each transportation provider shall be lift-equipped except  any
 bus which a provider has under contract of purchase on July first, nine-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD05937-01-3
 S. 9703                             2
 
 teen  hundred  ninety  for  delivery after that date. Such lift-equipped
 buses shall be properly operated and maintained to facilitate their  use
 by transit-disabled persons.
   b.  The  provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision shall not apply
 to buses that are purchased, leased or otherwise  brought  into  service
 that have a useful life of six years or less.
   C. ACCESSIBLE BUSES SHALL BE AVAILABLE WITHIN A SERVICE AREA MEASURING
 THREE MILES FROM ANY BUS LINE OF THE AUTHORITY AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S9703

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S9703

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S9703 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments