NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7410

Senate Bill S7410

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Directs the department of environmental conservation to conduct a study on retrofitting certain schools

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

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
Jun 04, 2025	advanced to third reading
May 29, 2025	2nd report cal.
May 28, 2025	1st report cal.1378
Apr 15, 2025	referred to environmental conservation

2025-S7410 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7819
Law Section:: Environmental Conservation

2025-S7410 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of environmental conservation to conduct a study on retrofitting certain schools located within 500 feet of a major highway.

2025-S7410 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7410

SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act directing the department of environmental conservation to commis-
sion a comprehensive study on the retrofitting needs of schools located
within 500 feet of major highways to mitigate exposure to harmful air
pollution

 
PURPOSE:

To assess the technical feasibility and cost of retrofitting public and
charter schools located within 500 feet of major highways to reduce
student exposure to harmful traffic-related air pollution.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 directs the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in
consultation with the Department of Education, to commission a study
examining retrofitting needs of schools situated within 500 feet of
major highways.

Section 2 outlines the components of the study, including:

(a) Evaluating air filtration and ventilation systems;

(b) Assessing building envelope integrity;

(c) Conducting feasibility analyses of retrofits;

(d) Estimating both school-level and statewide costs for necessary
upgrades.

Section 3 requires DEC to report findings, recommendations, and cost
estimates to the Governor, Assembly Speaker, and Senate Temporary Presi-
dent within one year.

Section 4 provides for the immediate effectiveness of the act.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In NY, more students attend schools near major highways than any other
state in the nation. More than 375 schools are within 500 feet of high-
traffic corridors, and 88% of them serve predominantly Black and brown
students. Students of color are 11 times more likely to attend a school
near a major roadway compared to their white counterparts.  However, New
York only

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Approximately $150,000 for the commissioning of the comprehensive study.
Funding is anticipated through the Environmental Bond Act's capital
allocations for disadvantaged communities.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S7410 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7410
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN ACT directing the department of environmental conservation to commis-
   sion a comprehensive  study  on  the  retrofitting  needs  of  schools
   located  within  500  feet  of  major highways to mitigate exposure to
   harmful air pollution
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The department of environmental conservation, in consulta-
 tion with the department of  education,  shall  commission  a  study  to
 determine  the  necessary  measures  and associated costs to retrofit or
 update air filtration and ventilation systems and to seal  the  building
 envelopes  of  public  and  charter  schools identified as being located
 within 500 feet of major highways.
   This study shall advance the state's obligation to protect  children's
 constitutional  rights  to  a  "sound  basic education" and a "healthful
 environment".
   § 2. The study shall examine public and charter schools located within
 500 hundred feet of a major highway and include, but not be limited  to,
 the following components:
   (a) Air filtration and ventilation assessments, to include:
   (i)  inspecting and documenting the type, age, and condition of exist-
 ing air filtration and ventilation systems, including HVAC  systems  and
 air purifiers in schools;
   (ii)  identifying  any gaps, deficiencies, or absence of such systems;
 and
   (iii) recommending appropriate upgrades or  full  system  replacements
 where  necessary, considering best practices for filtering fine particu-
 late matter and other traffic-related pollutants.
   (b) Building envelope evaluations, to include:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11302-01-5
 S. 7410                             2

 
   (i) inspecting the structural integrity  of  the  building  envelopes,
 including  doors,  windows, walls, and roofing, to assess whether pollu-
 tants are being introduced through leaks or insufficient sealing; and
   (ii)  recommending  weatherization  and  sealing  measures  to improve
 indoor air quality by preventing outdoor air pollutants from  infiltrat-
 ing indoor spaces.
   (c) Feasibility analysis, to include:
   (i)  assessing  the  technical feasibility of implementing filtration,
 ventilation, and  sealing  improvements  in  each  school,  taking  into
 account the building age, design and infrastructure limitations; and
   (ii)  prioritizing  schools  based  on factors such as the severity of
 pollution exposure, vulnerability of the student population, and  exist-
 ing facility conditions.
   (d) Cost estimation, to include:
   (i)  providing  a  detailed,  itemized estimate of the projected costs
 associated with recommended upgrades for each school, including  materi-
 als, labor, and maintenance considerations; and
   (ii)  preparing an aggregate cost estimate for all schools, reflecting
 the total investment required to  address  this  public  health  concern
 statewide.
   §  3.  The  department  of  environmental  conservation shall submit a
 comprehensive report detailing the  study's  findings,  recommendations,
 and cost estimates to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and the
 temporary  president of the senate within one year of the effective date
 of this act.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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