What's happening
This bill requires all school buses in New York to be equipped with GPS tracking and monitoring devices.
Why it matters
Improves student safety and emergency response. Mandating GPS tracking on all school buses enables schools and authorities to quickly locate buses in real time, which can be critical in emergencies, accidents, or unexpected route deviations.
Increases oversight and accountability. The requirement ensures that school districts can monitor bus routes and driver behavior, potentially reducing unauthorized stops, reckless driving, or misuse of school vehicles.
Enables better communication with parents and guardians. With GPS systems in place, schools may be able to provide parents with more accurate and timely updates on bus locations and estimated arrival times, reducing anxiety and improving trust in school transportation.
Ensures funding eligibility for GPS devices. By amending education law to explicitly include GPS tracking systems as an allowable expense, the bill makes it easier for school districts to secure funding for installation and maintenance, speeding up compliance and adoption.
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Who cares
School districts
The bill would require tracking equipment on every school bus and recognize its purchase and installation as a proper school district expense.
- Watching
School bus operators
They would need to equip every school bus with GPS or similar technology for tracking and monitoring.
- Watching
GPS and school bus tracking equipment suppliers
Their devices could meet the bill’s requirement for tracking and monitoring equipment on every school bus.
Headline styles
Track School Buses Statewide
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7020
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 29, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. TITONE, MOSLEY, SIMON, THIELE, GOTTFRIED, JEAN-PIERRE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring the installation of tracking and monitoring equipment of school buses; to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing the purchase and installation of global positioning system devices for school buses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subdivision 21-j to read as follows:
21-j. Every school bus shall have a device or equipment for the tracking and monitoring of such school bus through a global positioning system or similar technology.
§ 2. Paragraph c of subdivision 2 of section 3623-a of the education law, as amended by chapter 453 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
c. The purchase of equipment deemed a proper school district expense, including: (i) the purchase of two-way radios to be used on old and new school buses, (ii) the purchase of stop-arms, to be used on old and new school buses, (iii) the purchase and installation of seat safety belts on school buses in accordance with the provisions of section thirty-six hundred thirty-five-a of this article, (iv) the purchase of school bus back up beepers, (v) the purchase of school bus front crossing arms, (vi) the purchase of school bus safety sensor devices, (vii) the purchase and installation of exterior reflective marking on school buses, (viii) the purchase of automatic engine fire extinguishing systems for school buses used to transport students who use wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices, [and] (ix) the purchase and installation of devices and equipment to be used for tracking and monitoring school buses that are based on global positioning system or similar
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09166-01-7
A. 7020 2
technology, and (x) the purchase of other equipment as prescribed in the regulations of the commissioner; and
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
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.