What's happening
This bill legalizes and validates certain school district transportation contracts with minor errors from the 2004-05 to 2017-18 school years.
Why it matters
Protects school districts from financial penalties. by retroactively validating minor clerical or technical errors in transportation contracts, ensuring districts do not lose state transportation aid for mistakes made as far back as the 2004-05 school year.
Removes uncertainty for school budgets. by confirming these contracts as valid obligations, allowing districts to rely on expected state reimbursements and avoid costly local tax increases or program cuts to cover aid lost due to technicalities.
Establishes a clear administrative remedy. for districts: they must demonstrate to the Commissioner of Education that the errors were minor and unintentional, and submit relevant documentation by a specific deadline, ensuring a structured process rather than arbitrary approvals.
Sets a precedent for balancing accountability with practicality. in school district operations, recognizing that minor paperwork mistakes should not undermine essential student transportation services or district finances.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Forgive School Transport Aid Errors
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Print number 6691a
- Amend and recommit to education
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Forgive School Transit Errors
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor Rich Funke
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6691--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 15, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE, GALEF -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education -- recommitted to the Committee on Education in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend chapter 57 of the laws of 2012 enacting into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the education, labor and family assistance budget, in relation to legalizing, validating, ratifying and confirming certain actions or omissions relating to certain transportation contracts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 16-a of part A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2012, enacting into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the education, labor and family assistance budget, are amended to read as follows:
1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, where the education department denies or has denied transportation aid for a school district transportation contract or has recovered overpayments of such aid relating thereto, the actions or omissions of all officers, employees or agents of an eligible school district relating to or in connection with transportation contracts for the 2004-05 school year through the [2011-12] 2017-18 school year and for contracts and contract extensions entered into prior to the [2004-05] 2017-18 school year for which expenses were incurred in the 2004-05 school year or thereafter, and, where a district can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the commissioner of education that such actions or omissions involve only inadvertent and minor clerical or technical errors, all acts incidental thereto are hereby legalized, validated, ratified and confirmed, notwithstanding any failure to comply with the filing provisions of the education law, the general municipal law or any other law, rule or regu-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06926-03-8
A. 6691--A 2
lation other than those filing provisions defined in paragraph a of subdivision 5 of section 3604 of the education law, in relation to any omission, error, defect, irregularity or illegality in such proceeding had and taken.
2. The education department is hereby directed to consider the contracts legalized, ratified, validated and confirmed pursuant to subdivision 1 of this section for transportation aid as a valid and proper obligation of the school district for aid payable for expense incurred in the 2004-05 school year and thereafter; provided that such school district submits to the education department the applicable contract number or numbers, school year and upon request, a copy of the contract, on or before December 31, [2012] 2018 and the contract is approved by the commissioner of education, and provided further that any amount due and payable for school years prior to the [2012-13] 2017-18 school year as a result of this act shall be paid pursuant to the provisions of paragraph c of subdivision 5 of section 3604 of the education law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.