NY State Senate Bill 2013-S4961

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education 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 08, 2014	referred to education
May 21, 2013	reported and committed to finance
May 01, 2013	referred to education

Votes

- May 21, 2013 - Education Committee Vote
  S4961
  
  18
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Education Committee Vote: May 21, 2013
      
      aye (18)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Avella
      
      Breslin
      
      Farley
      
      Flanagan
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Latimer
      
      Little
      
      Marcellino
      
      Maziarz
      
      Montgomery
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Robach
      
      Seward
      
      Stavisky
      
      Tkaczyk
      
      Valesky

co-Sponsors

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §3623-a, Ed L

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides an incentive for school districts to negotiate lower cost transportation contracts.

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S4961

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the education law, in relation to an
incentive for school districts to lower their transportation costs

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:  The intent of this legislation is to
provide school districts with financial flexibility by providing them
with the ability to keep certain transportation aid for up to five
years.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Subdivision 3 of section 3623-a of the education law is
amended to add a new paragraph (d.) which includes the following
provisions:

(1) for the purpose of this program, allows school districts to
compute their transportation aid based on the higher-cost district
operated transportation system.

(2) this section sets forth the requirements a school district must
meet in order to take advantage of the program. The program can only
be utilized for the portion of the district's transportation system
that is not currently operated by a private school bus operator. The
school district must issue a request for proposal for transportation
services from qualified transportation contractors.

(3) affords the school district the ability to sell or lease
transportation equipment which was purchased in support of the school
district's transportation system and keep the proceeds and any
amortized transportation aid.

(4 and 5) limits the program to expiration of the first contract with
the private school bus operator/contractor not to exceed five years.

Section 2: Sets forth an immediate effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:  School districts continue to face unprecedented fiscal
and academic pressures. Even with education funding at record levels,
many public schools are finding it increasingly difficult to manage
costs and hold the line on school property taxes. The legislation will
help reduce the cost of student transportation and provide school
districts with savings that can be used to directly support academic
efforts in the classroom. It is essential that the legislature support
the efforts of school districts to explore innovative and
cost-effective solutions, so that school do not have to lay-off
teachers, cut programs or other vital educational resources.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

(2012) S.6257-D Budget Resolution Passed Senate (2013) S.2607-C Budget
Resolution Passed Senate

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:  This bill will provide savings to both local
school districts and to the state.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  This act shall take effect immediately.

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4961

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               May 1, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. FLANAGAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  an  incentive  for
  school districts to lower their transportation costs

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1.  Subdivision 3 of section 3623-a of the  education  law  is
amended by adding a new paragraph d to read as follows:
  D.  (1)  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY  LAW  TO  THE  CONTRARY,  WHERE A SCHOOL
DISTRICT PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION FOR SOME OR ALL OF ITS DISTRICT PUPILS
THROUGH A DISTRICT OPERATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AS OF THE FIRST DAY OF
SEPTEMBER TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN CONTRACTS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF  ITS
PUPILS  WITH A CONTRACTOR AND SUCH CONTRACT RESULTS IN A LOWER ALLOWABLE
TRANSPORTATION EXPENSE PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION THAN THE DISTRICT  OPER-
ATED  TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM SUCH DISTRICT MAY COMPUTE ITS TRANSPORTATION
AID PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION BASED UPON  THE  HIGHER  DISTRICT  OPERATED
TRANSPORTATION   SYSTEM  COSTS;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT  SUCH  SCHOOL
DISTRICT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN SUBPARAGRAPH  TWO  OF  THIS
PARAGRAPH.
  (2)  A  SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH COMPUTES ITS TRANSPORTATION AID PURSUANT
TO SUBPARAGRAPH ONE OF THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL MEET THE FOLLOWING  REQUIRE-
MENTS:
  (I)  CALCULATE  ITS ALLOWABLE TRANSPORTATION EXPENSES PURSUANT TO THIS
SECTION FOR A DISTRICT OPERATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR THE TWO  THOU-
SAND  TWELVE--TWO  THOUSAND THIRTEEN SCHOOL YEAR. SUCH CALCULATION SHALL
BE BASED ON THAT PORTION OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT  IS  DISTRICT
OPERATED  AND PROPOSED TO BE CONTRACTED TO A QUALIFIED PUPIL TRANSPORTA-
TION CONTRACTOR;
  (II) IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESENTLY PROVIDES  FOR  TRANSPORTATION  FOR
ITS  PUPILS  THROUGH A COMBINATION OF A DISTRICT OPERATED TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM AND A CONTRACTOR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, ONLY THAT PORTION OF  THE

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD10531-01-3

S. 4961                             2

TRANSPORTATION  SYSTEM WHICH IS DISTRICT OPERATED IS ELIGIBLE FOR TREAT-
MENT UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH;
  (III)  ISSUE  A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR SUCH DISTRICT OPERATED TRANS-
PORTATION SERVICES; AND
  (IV) AWARD  A  CONTRACT  FOR  SUCH  DISTRICT  OPERATED  TRANSPORTATION
SERVICES TO A QUALIFIED PUPIL TRANSPORTATION CONTRACTOR.
  (3) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY LAW TO THE CONTRARY, A SCHOOL DISTRICT SWITCH-
ING  FROM  A  DISTRICT  OPERATED  TRANSPORTATION  SYSTEM TO A CONTRACTOR
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MAY SELL OR LEASE EQUIPMENT PURCHASED  IN  SUPPORT
OF  THE  DISTRICT OPERATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND RETAIN ANY PROCEEDS
AND AMORTIZED TRANSPORTATION AID.
  (4) A SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL BE INELIGIBLE FOR RETENTION OF TRANSPORTA-
TION AID PURSUANT TO THIS  PARAGRAPH  UPON  EXPIRATION  OF  THE  INITIAL
CONTRACT  ENTERED  INTO BETWEEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE PUPIL TRANS-
PORTATION CONTRACTOR.
  (5) A SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR RETENTION  OF  TRANSPORTA-
TION AID PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH FOR NO MORE THAN FIVE YEARS.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S4961

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

May 21, 2013 - Education Committee Vote

Education Committee Vote: May 21, 2013

co-Sponsors

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Details

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S4961

Share this bill

Sponsored By

John J. Flanagan

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

John A. DeFrancisco

Mark Grisanti

Michael H. Ranzenhofer

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Details

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2013-S4961 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments