Bill Text: NY A10303 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to paratransit services within the state and city of New York during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-2)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-06-17 - VETOED MEMO.54 [A10303 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A10303-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10303

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     April 15, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Transportation

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  transportation  law, in relation to paratransit
          services within the state and city of New York during the  coronavirus
          disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 15-b of the transportation law  is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph c to read as follows:
     3    c.  (1)  (a)  The  eligibility  of all Americans with Disabilities Act
     4  paratransit eligible  customers,  whose  certification  would  otherwise
     5  expire  between  March first, two thousand twenty and July thirty-first,
     6  two thousand twenty, shall be extended through August thirty-first,  two
     7  thousand twenty.
     8    (b) Each contractor providing paratransit services shall render eligi-
     9  bility  determinations  for any application for Americans with Disabili-
    10  ties Act paratransit submitted before July  thirty-first,  two  thousand
    11  twenty,  based  on  the  application and submitted medical documentation
    12  alone, until August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    13    (c) For the period ending July thirty-first, two thousand twenty,  all
    14  contractors providing paratransit services shall suspend all paratransit
    15  shared rides and shall instead dispatch and route individual paratransit
    16  trips,  to  the  maximum extent possible. Customers shall be notified in
    17  advance in the event that their ride will be shared with another custom-
    18  er, and such customers shall have the  right  to  refuse  or  reschedule
    19  shared rides without penalty.
    20    (d)  All contractors providing paratransit services in the city of New
    21  York shall ensure that all paratransit drivers and  personnel  providing
    22  paratransit  services are provided with hand sanitizer, disposable ster-
    23  ile gloves, and training on preventive measures to protect both  custom-
    24  ers  and drivers from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, consistent
    25  with current center for disease control and department of health  guide-
    26  lines.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16013-02-0
        A. 10303                            2

     1    (2)  Any  contractor  providing  paratransit services is authorized to
     2  extend any date set forth in clause (a), (b) or (c) of subparagraph  (1)
     3  of  this  paragraph, if, in the interest of the health and safety of the
     4  public due to the coronavirus disease  2019  (COVID-19)  pandemic,  such
     5  contractor deems such extension to be necessary.
     6    §  2.  Subdivision  5  of  section  15-c  of the transportation law is
     7  amended by adding a new paragraph e to read as follows:
     8    e. (1) (a) The eligibility of  all  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act
     9  paratransit  eligible  customers,  whose  certification  would otherwise
    10  expire between March first, two thousand twenty and  July  thirty-first,
    11  two  thousand twenty, shall be extended through August thirty-first, two
    12  thousand twenty.
    13    (b) Each transportation provider providing paratransit services  shall
    14  render eligibility determinations for any application for Americans with
    15  Disabilities  Act  paratransit  submitted  before July thirty-first, two
    16  thousand twenty, based on the application and submitted medical documen-
    17  tation alone, until August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    18    (c) For the period ending July thirty-first, two thousand twenty,  all
    19  transportation  providers  providing  paratransit services shall suspend
    20  all paratransit shared rides and shall instead dispatch and route  indi-
    21  vidual  paratransit  trips,  to  the  maximum extent possible. Customers
    22  shall be notified in advance in the event that their ride will be shared
    23  with another customer, and such customers shall have the right to refuse
    24  or reschedule shared rides without penalty.
    25    (d) All transportation providers  providing  paratransit  services  in
    26  this  state  shall  ensure  that  all  paratransit drivers and personnel
    27  providing paratransit services are provided with hand sanitizer, dispos-
    28  able sterile gloves, and training on preventive measures to protect both
    29  customers and drivers  from  COVID-19  and  other  infectious  diseases,
    30  consistent  with  current  center  for disease control and department of
    31  health guidelines.
    32    (2) Any transportation  provider  providing  paratransit  services  is
    33  authorized  to  extend  any  date set forth in clause (a), (b) or (c) of
    34  subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, if, in the interest  of  the  health
    35  and  safety of the public due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
    36  pandemic, such transportation provider deems such extension to be neces-
    37  sary.
    38    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.