STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1601
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  O'MARA -- 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
          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; the commissioner of the office [of  mental  retardation
    13  and]  for  people  with  developmental disabilities; the commissioner of
    14  [social services; state advocate for the disabled] the office for tempo-
    15  rary and disability assistance; the executive director of the  New  York
    16  state  justice  center  for the protection of people with special needs;
    17  the secretary of state; the commissioner of  agriculture  and  markets[;
    18  the  director  of  the office of rural affairs] and the [director of the
    19  division for youth] commissioner of the office of  children  and  family
    20  services.  Six  additional  members, all of whom shall be transportation
    21  providers or consumers representing rural counties shall be appointed to
    22  serve a term of three years as follows: two by the  [president  pro-tem-
    23  pore]  temporary  president  of  the  senate,  two by the speaker of the
    24  assembly, one by the minority leader of  the  senate,  and  one  by  the
    25  minority  leader  of  the  assembly.  Efforts shall be made to provide a
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05807-01-9

        S. 1601                             2
     1  broad  representation  of  consumers  and  providers  of  transportation
     2  services  in  rural counties when making such appointments.  [Members of
     3  the committee shall receive no salary.] The six members appointed by the
     4  legislature,  as  well as the commissioner or his or her designee, shall
     5  be the voting members. The balance of the committee  will  serve  in  an
     6  advisory  or  consulting  capacity. The committee shall keep a record of
     7  its official actions.
     8    The commissioner shall cause the department to provide  staff  assist-
     9  ance  necessary for the efficient and effective operation of the commit-
    10  tee.
    11    2. The committee shall[:] meet at least once every  three  months  and
    12  shall  report to the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of
    13  the senate, and the governor  annually,  beginning  October  first,  two
    14  thousand twenty. The annual report shall:
    15    a.  identify existing rural transportation systems and provide data on
    16  ridership, revenue, and financial challenges for each system;
    17    b. identify rural populations currently utilizing  public  transporta-
    18  tion,  as  well  as populations in need of public transportation without
    19  access,  and  discuss  recommendations  for  maintaining  and  expanding
    20  services;
    21    c. include a breakdown by county of cost savings, modes of transporta-
    22  tion  provided  to Medicaid patients, and rates of utilization of public
    23  transportation by Medicaid patients;
    24    d. identify programs and the annual amounts and sources of funds  from
    25  such  programs  that  are  eligible  to be used to support a coordinated
    26  public transportation service, and the annual  amounts  and  sources  of
    27  such  funds  that  are  actually  used  for client transportation or for
    28  transportation of persons in connection with agency-affiliated  programs
    29  or services; such data shall be provided on a county basis;
    30    [b.]  e. identify restrictions on existing programs that inhibit funds
    31  from such programs being used to pay for a coordinated public  transpor-
    32  tation service in rural counties;
    33    [c.]  f.  recommend changes in state or local laws or regulations that
    34  would improve the coordination of funds, facilities, vehicles or  equip-
    35  ment and other resources used for transportation at the local level[;
    36    d.  upon  request, compile and forward to the commissioner any data or
    37  other information required by this section].
    38    3. The committee shall be  required  to  examine  reimbursement  rates
    39  developed  by  transportation  managers  pursuant to subdivision four of
    40  section three hundred sixty-five-h of the social services law for  coun-
    41  ties  with  a  population of two hundred thousand or less. The committee
    42  shall submit recommendations for proposed and effective rates for  rural
    43  communities  to  the commissioner of health with recommendations includ-
    44  ing, but not limited to, adjustments to individual ridership  fares  for
    45  public transportation utilization, rates for low-cost coordinated trans-
    46  portation  with  other  human  service  agencies,  and rates for private
    47  transportation with considerations of availability and cost savings.
    48    The commissioner of health shall consult with the committee  prior  to
    49  approval  of  rates  proposed  under  subdivision  four of section three
    50  hundred sixty-five-h of the social services  law  for  counties  with  a
    51  population  of  two  hundred  thousand  or less. Any proposal for a rate
    52  adjustment for rural communities after approval shall be examined by the
    53  committee prior to approval by the commissioner.
    54    4. A majority of the whole number of voting members of  the  committee
    55  shall  constitute  a quorum for the transaction of the committee's busi-
    56  ness. The committee shall have the power to act by a  majority  vote  of

        S. 1601                             3
     1  the  voting  members.  Committee  members  shall hold office until their
     2  successors have been appointed and  have  qualified.  The  selection  of
     3  successors  to  fill a vacancy shall be made in the same manner in which
     4  the retiring committee members shall have been selected.  Members of the
     5  committee  shall  receive  no salary or other compensation, but shall be
     6  entitled to their actual and  necessary  expenses,  including  traveling
     7  expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.
     8    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.