Bill Text: NY S01597 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the appointees to the interagency coordinating committee on rural public transportation, and transportation of eligible persons residing in a rural area.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S01597 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S01597-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1597
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by Sens. O'MARA, AKSHAR, AMEDORE, FUNKE, GALLIVAN, RANZENHOF-
          ER,  SEWARD, YOUNG -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed
          to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
        AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to  the  interagency
          coordinating  committee  on  rural public transportation; and to amend
          the social services law, in relation to the transportation of eligible
          persons residing in a rural area
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 73-d of the transportation law, as amended by chap-
     2  ter 562 of the laws of 1987, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 73-d. Interagency coordinating committee on rural public transporta-
     4  tion. 1. There is hereby created a committee to be known as the "intera-
     5  gency  coordinating  committee  on  rural  public transportation", to be
     6  comprised of nineteen members. The commissioner or his or  her  designee
     7  shall  serve as chairperson. Twelve of such members shall be the follow-
     8  ing or his or her duly designated representative: the  director  of  the
     9  office for the aging; the commissioner of education; the commissioner of
    10  labor;  the  commissioner  of  health; the commissioner of the office of
    11  mental  health;  the  commissioner  of  the  office  of  alcoholism  and
    12  substance  abuse  services;  the  commissioner  of the office [of mental
    13  retardation and] for people with developmental disabilities; the commis-
    14  sioner of [social services; state advocate for the disabled] the  office
    15  for  temporary  and disability assistance; the executive director of the
    16  New York state justice center for the protection of people with  special
    17  needs;  the  secretary  of  state;  the  commissioner of agriculture and
    18  markets[; the director of the office of rural affairs] and the [director
    19  of the division for youth] commissioner of the office  of  children  and
    20  family  services.  Six  additional  members, [all] five of whom shall be
    21  transportation providers or consumers representing  rural  counties  and
    22  one  shall  be  a representative of a labor union affiliated with public
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05819-01-9
        S. 1597                             2
     1  transportation systems receiving public transportation systems operating
     2  assistance account funds, shall be appointed to serve a  term  of  three
     3  years as follows: two by the [president pro-tempore] temporary president
     4  of  the  senate, two by the speaker of the assembly, one by the minority
     5  leader of the senate, and one by the minority leader  of  the  assembly.
     6  Efforts shall be made to provide a broad representation of consumers and
     7  providers  of transportation services in rural counties when making such
     8  appointments.  [Members of the committee shall receive no  salary.]  The
     9  six members appointed by the legislature, as well as the commissioner or
    10  his  or  her  designee,  shall be the voting members. The balance of the
    11  committee will serve in an advisory or consulting capacity. The  commit-
    12  tee shall keep a record of its official actions.
    13    The  commissioner  shall cause the department to provide staff assist-
    14  ance necessary for the efficient and effective operation of the  commit-
    15  tee.
    16    2.  The  committee shall[:]  meet at least once every three months and
    17  shall report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate  and
    18  the speaker of the assembly annually, beginning October first, two thou-
    19  sand twenty. The annual report shall:
    20    a.  identify existing rural transportation systems and provide data on
    21  ridership, revenue, and financial challenges for each system;
    22    b. identify rural populations currently utilizing  public  transporta-
    23  tion,  as  well  as populations in need of public transportation without
    24  access,  and  discuss  recommendations  for  maintaining  and  expanding
    25  services;
    26    c. include a breakdown by county of cost savings, modes of transporta-
    27  tion  provided  to Medicaid patients, and rates of utilization of public
    28  transportation by Medicaid patients;
    29    d. identify programs and the annual amounts and sources of funds  from
    30  such  programs  that  are  eligible  to be used to support a coordinated
    31  public transportation service, and the annual  amounts  and  sources  of
    32  such  funds  that  are  actually  used  for client transportation or for
    33  transportation of persons in connection with agency-affiliated  programs
    34  or services; such data shall be provided on a county basis;
    35    [b. identify restrictions on existing programs that inhibit funds from
    36  such  programs being used to pay for a coordinated public transportation
    37  service in rural counties;
    38    c.] e. recommend changes in state or local laws  or  regulations  that
    39  would  improve the coordination of funds, facilities, vehicles or equip-
    40  ment and other resources used for transportation at the local level;
    41    [d.] f. upon request, compile and forward to the commissioner any data
    42  or other information required by this section.
    43    3. A majority of the whole number of voting members of  the  committee
    44  shall  constitute  a quorum for the transaction of the committee's busi-
    45  ness. The committee shall have the power to act by a  majority  vote  of
    46  the  voting  members.  Committee  members  shall hold office until their
    47  successors have been appointed and  have  qualified.  The  selection  of
    48  successors  to  fill a vacancy shall be made in the same manner in which
    49  the retiring committee members shall have been selected.  Members of the
    50  committee shall receive no salary or other compensation,  but  shall  be
    51  entitled  to  their  actual  and necessary expenses, including traveling
    52  expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.
    53    § 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 4 of section  365-h  of  the
    54  social  services law is designated paragraph (a) and a new paragraph (b)
    55  is added to read as follows:
        S. 1597                             3
     1    (b) Where the commissioner of health elects to assume  such  responsi-
     2  bility  from  a local social services district authorized transportation
     3  for an eligible person, whose originating location exists within a coun-
     4  ty defined as a rural area pursuant to subdivision seven of section four
     5  hundred  eighty-one of the executive law, shall be assigned to an exist-
     6  ing public transportation system,  as  defined  in  subdivision  one  of
     7  section eighteen-b of the transportation law, if that system provides an
     8  appropriate,  available  and  least  expensive mode of transportation. A
     9  county defined as a rural area pursuant to subdivision seven of  section
    10  four  hundred  eighty-one  of  the  executive  law  may  opt out of such
    11  election by the commissioner of health by notifying such commissioner in
    12  writing.
    13    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
    14  section  two of this act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it
    15  shall have become a law and that the  amendments  to  subdivision  4  of
    16  section  365-h  of  the social services law, made by section two of this
    17  act, shall not affect the expiration and repeal  of  such  section,  and
    18  shall expire and be deemed repealed therewith.