STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         1372--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  HUNTER,  STIRPE,  BARRON, SOLAGES, WILLIAMS,
          M. G. MILLER, MAGNARELLI, JEAN-PIERRE, ROZIC, HYNDMAN, KIM, O'DONNELL,
          TITUS, BLAKE, JOYNER, SEAWRIGHT, DiPIETRO,  WALKER,  JONES  --  Multi-
          Sponsored  by  -- M.   of A. COOK, CROUCH, MOSLEY, THIELE -- read once
          and referred to the Committee on Education  --  committee  discharged,
          bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
          committee

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to  establishing  a  task
          force on safety in school transportation

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new  section  3638
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  3638.  Task  force  on safety in school transportation. 1. There is
     4  hereby created a task force on safety in school transportation with  the
     5  purpose of reviewing and promoting safety in school transportation.
     6    2.  The  task  force  shall  consist  of eighteen members appointed as
     7  follows: five members appointed by the governor, five members  appointed
     8  by  the temporary president of the senate, and five members appointed by
     9  the speaker of the assembly. The  task  force  shall  also  include  the
    10  commissioner  or his or her designee; the commissioner of transportation
    11  or his or her designee; and the commissioner of the department of  motor
    12  vehicles  or  his  or  her designee.   The members appointed to the task
    13  force shall include, but not be  limited  to,  education  and  community
    14  stakeholders,  parents, teachers, administrators, school bus drivers and
    15  other school bus personnel.
    16    3. It shall be the duty of the task force to study and issue recommen-
    17  dations related to student safety in  school  transportation.  The  task
    18  force shall review and make recommendations on:
    19    a.  existing state laws, regulations, and programs that address school
    20  bus safety, and make recommendations for  their  improvement,  including

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04764-03-9

        A. 1372--A                          2

     1  any recommendations necessary to ensure pedestrian safety and the safety
     2  of students;
     3    b. examining the possibility of requiring a state department or office
     4  to  conduct a biannual review of all aspects of school bus safety and to
     5  issue recommendations for additional action or oversight,  as  appropri-
     6  ate;
     7    c. developing a plan to phase in any school bus safety measures recom-
     8  mended  by  the  task force through retrofitting and prospective vehicle
     9  purchases, and identify the  potential  application  of  vehicle  sensor
    10  technology to improve school bus safety;
    11    d. identifying best practices for the designation of school bus stops;
    12    e.  the  current safety status of students who walk to and from school
    13  and  identify  strategies  that  support  safe  pedestrian  behavior  by
    14  students  between their homes and schools, including as they walk to and
    15  from bus stops and board and exit buses;
    16    f. identifying safety protocols to be followed by school  bus  drivers
    17  and  school bus aides, including safeguards to ensure that protocols are
    18  followed when a substitute driver or school bus aide is  assigned  to  a
    19  school bus;
    20    g. developing recommendations to curb illegal passing of school buses;
    21  and
    22    h.  determining  if  there  is  a need for additional public education
    23  programs that promote school bus safety.
    24    4.  Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be  filled  in
    25  the  same  manner as the original appointments were made. The members of
    26  the task force shall serve without compensation but  may  be  reimbursed
    27  for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
    28    5.  The  task  force  shall  organize as soon as is practical upon the
    29  appointment of a majority of its members.  The chair of the  task  force
    30  shall be designated by a simple majority vote of all members of the task
    31  force.
    32    6.  The department shall provide staff and related support services to
    33  the task force. The task force shall also be entitled to call  upon  the
    34  services  of  any state, county, or municipal department, board, commis-
    35  sion or agency, as may be available to it for  these  purposes,  and  to
    36  incur  such  traveling  and  other miscellaneous expenses as it may deem
    37  necessary for the proper execution of its duties and as  may  be  within
    38  the  limit  of  funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for
    39  these purposes. The task force may meet and hold hearings at such places
    40  as it shall designate.
    41    7.  The task force shall create a final report regarding all  findings
    42  and  recommendations to be delivered on or before December thirty-first,
    43  two thousand twenty to the governor,  the  temporary  president  of  the
    44  senate,  the  speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate education
    45  committee, the chair of the assembly education committee, the  chair  of
    46  the senate transportation committee and the chair of the assembly trans-
    47  portation committee.
    48    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.