What's happening
This bill extends the period for legalizing and validating school district transportation contracts with minor clerical errors through the 2017-18 school year.
Why it matters
Provides financial relief and stability for school districts. by allowing transportation contracts with minor clerical errors from as far back as the 2004-05 through the 2017-18 school years to be legalized and deemed eligible for state aid, potentially restoring significant funding that districts may have lost or been denied.
Reduces administrative burdens and legal risks. for school administrators, who might otherwise face penalties or the loss of aid due to simple mistakes, encouraging districts to focus resources on student services rather than bureaucratic compliance.
Offers equitable treatment for districts statewide. by extending the opportunity to correct past minor errors, ensuring that districts are not unfairly penalized for inadvertent paperwork mistakes compared to peers who may have already benefited from previous extensions.
May encourage improved record-keeping and contract management in the future. , as the bill sets a clear deadline (December 31, 2018) for submitting corrected documentation, signaling that such leniency is temporary and emphasizing the importance of accuracy going forward.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Forgive School Transit Errors
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 55
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 1348a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to education
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 63–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1532
- Reported and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
Show 1 earlier action
- 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 Transport Aid Errors
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Charles Lavine
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1348--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2017
Introduced by Sen. FUNKE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education -- recommitted to the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- 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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06926-02-8
S. 1348--A 2
education law, the general municipal law or any other law, rule or regulation 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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend chapter 57 of the laws of 2012 enact- ing into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the education, labor and family assistance budget, in relation to legaliz- ing, validating, ratifying and confirming certain actions or omissions relating to certain transportation contracts
Purpose
To provide transportation aid forgiveness to districts that would other- wise lose aid due to inadvertent, minor and technical errors.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Updates subdivision 1 and 2 of section 16-a of chapter 57 of the laws of 2012 capture contracts entered into prior to the 2017-18 school year.
Section 2: Effective date.
Justification
When school districts make errors relating to transportation aid they become ineligible to recover this lost aid even though the state had budgeted for that expense. These errors tend to be minor in nature, such as a miscommunication during a staff transition or a clerical error. While these errors are minor the amount of money school districts lose out on is not.
There is previous precedent for providing transportation aid forgive- ness. The 2012-13 enacted budget provided for forgiveness of transporta- tion contracts that were denied by the State Education Department due to inadvertent, minor, technical, or clerical errors prior to the 2011-12 school year. Updating this provision to capture contracts entered into prior to the 2015-16 school year will make the process more efficient and make it easier for school districts to collect their reimbursements.
Legislative history
S.7299/A.9592 of 2016; Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
Undetermined
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.