Senate Bill S5803

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S5803

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to rates of fare
on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Establishes a discount fare rate of no less than 25% for undergraduate
students attending an accredited college full time on the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority system.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Amends § 1266 of the public authorities law by adding a new subdivision
19 providing for a discount fare rate program of no less than twenty-
five percent of the regular fare for full-time undergraduate students
attending an accredited college.

              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

A college education is essential in today's economy. With the increases
to property taxes, utilities, gasoline, and with the growing unemploy-
ment rate, parents are hard pressed to continue funding increased costs
associated with a college education. With the increases to property
taxes, utilities, gasoline, and with the growing unemployment rate,
parents are hard pressed to continue funding increased costs associated
with a college education. Students who are funding their higher educa-
tion on their own through student loans and work are in a worse position
due to tuition and fee increases.

People who graduated from one of the CUNY institutions between 1970 and
1997 pay an estimated $708 million per year more in City and State taxes
than if they had not earned a college degree. Their annual spending is
$4.6 billion higher than if they had not gone to college.

This legislation will lower transportation costs for those who are
attending an accredited college full-time. College students and their
families need all the help they can get to make a college education
possible.

An additional significant benefit of this legislation would be encourag-
ing the use of public transportation which provides environmental bene-
fits to all residents. Use of public transportation can lower air
pollution and help New York State comply with environmental standards.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S 8628 COMRIE Same as A 6485 Colton

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Based upon the history of discount programs in the 1990s, it is antic-
ipated that no loss of revenue from the discounted fares would be real-
ized due to the amount of additional revenues generated from new riders
in the system.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.