What's happening
This bill creates a program to reduce gasoline use by New York State's vehicle fleet and solo commutes by state workers.
Why it matters
State agencies will be required to actively develop and report on strategies to reduce both the use of gasoline by state vehicles and the frequency of solo commutes by state employees and contractors. This means more systematic attention to transportation efficiency and potentially major changes in state employee commuting habits.
The law pushes for alternative commuting methods—such as carpooling, public transit, biking, or walking—and gives agencies the authority to implement flexible work schedules and telecommuting. This could improve work-life balance for employees and reduce environmental impacts by lowering emissions from solo car use.
Fleet management is directly targeted, with mandated reviews of the size and usage policies of state vehicle fleets and requirements for fuel efficiency audits. This could lead to downsizing the fleet, stricter use guidelines, and a shift toward more fuel-efficient or alternative-fuel vehicles.
There’s an educational component aimed at the general public, with the Department of Motor Vehicles tasked to promote “smart driving” and maintenance habits that save fuel. This has the potential to extend the impact of the program beyond just state employees, fostering broader cultural change around vehicle use and fuel consumption.
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Who cares
Office of General Services
It would run the fuel conservation program and develop plans to reduce solo commuting and gasoline consumption by the state vehicle fleet.
State employees and contractors
They would be the focus of proposals for carpooling, transit use, alternative work schedules, telecommuting and transit reimbursement to reduce solo commuting.
State agencies with vehicle fleets
They would have to conduct fuel efficiency audits and submit them to the Office of General Services within 180 days of the bill taking effect.
Department of Motor Vehicles
It would have to develop driver education programs on fuel-saving driving, trip reduction and vehicle maintenance, and report on their status.
Headline styles
Cut State Fuel Use
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to governmental operations
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.1999
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3431
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2017
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the "state workforce fuel reduction and conservation act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "state workforce fuel reduction and conservation act".
§ 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 201-b to read as follows:
§ 201-b. State workforce fuel reduction and conservation act. 1. There shall be created within the office of general services a state workforce fuel reduction and conservation program, which shall have the purpose of developing and assisting in the implementation of strategies to reduce gasoline consumption by the state's motor vehicular fleet, and to reduce gasoline consumption through solo motor vehicle trips between home and the workplace by state employees and state contractors.
2. The office of general services, in coordination with the governor's office of employee relations and the office for technology, shall issue a report to the governor and the legislature on or before November fifteenth, two thousand eighteen, setting forth a specific plan to reduce the number of solo motor vehicle trips between home and the workplace by state employees and state contractors. Such plan shall include, at a minimum, proposals to promote the use of transportation other than via single occupancy vehicles by state employees to and from the workplace, and while at the workplace: proposals for the development, promotion and implementation of a solo trip reduction program designed to encourage state employees and state contractors to use an alternative mode of commuting such as car or van pools, mass transit, biking or walking; authorizing state agencies and authorities to permit alterna-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01924-01-7
S. 3431 2
tive work schedules or telecommuting for all state employees and contractors where doing so would result in a reduction in home-workplace travel without decreasing employee efficiency; and a proposal to reimburse state employees and contractors for mass transit costs where doing so results in a net reduction in solo motor vehicle trips.
3. The office of general services shall review the size of the state's vehicular fleet, the policies governing the use of such fleet and the actual use of such fleet, and shall issue to the governor and the legislature on or before November fifteenth, two thousand eighteen, a specific plan to reduce the use of such fleet in order to reduce gasoline consumption.
§ 3. Each state agency covered by section 201-b of the executive law, establishing a program to increase the average passenger occupancy per vehicle in commuting trips between home and the workplace, shall report to the office of general services on the status of such program within one hundred eighty days of the effective date of this act, and on the fifteenth day of January in each year thereafter.
§ 4. Each state agency that maintains its own vehicular fleet shall perform a fuel efficiency audit of such fleet and shall provide such audit to the office of general services within one hundred eighty days of the effective date of this act.
§ 5. The department of motor vehicles shall develop programs to educate the driving public on "smart driving," trip reduction and vehicle maintenance practices that are designed to maximize vehicle fuel efficiency. The department shall issue a report to the governor and the legislature on or before November 15, 2018 on the status of such program.
§ 6. Nothing in this act shall impair any agreements which may be made as a result of collective bargaining or other negotiations between the state and its affected employee organizations.
§ 7. 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 the executive law, in relation to the "state workforce fuel reduction and conservation act"
Purpose
Provides for a state workforce fuel reduction and conservation program which will develop and assist in implementing strategies to reduce fuel consumption.
Summary of provisions
Section one establishes the "State Workforce Fuel Reduction and Conservation Act."
Section two:
* directs the Office of General Services (OGS) to review the State's vehicular fleet as well as the use of that fleet, to determine whether alternative fuel vehicles can be used, and whether trip reduction can be used to reduce gasoline consumption; and
* directs OGS, in conjunction with the Governor's Office of Employee relations and the Office for Technology, to issue a report setting forth a specific plan to reduce the number of solo motor vehicle trips between home and the workplace by state employees and state contractors.
Section three directs State agencies to establish programs to increase the average passenger occupancy per vehicle in commuting trips between home and the workplace.
Section four directs each State agency to perform fuel efficiency audits of their fleets.
Section five directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop programs to educate the driving public on "smart driving", trip reduction, and vehicle maintenance practices.
Section six prohibits any part of this Act from impairing any collective bargaining agreements.
Section seven is the enacting date.
Existing law
This legislation adds a new section to Executive Law.
Justification
The United States uses a lot of energy - nearly a million dollars worth of energy each minute, 24 hours a day, every day reduce gasoline consumption
*direct OGS to develop and properly promote a comprehensive car pooling program
*direct all state agencies to perform fuel efficiency audits of their own transportation systems and fleets
*authorize agencies to implement. commuter trip reduction programs that will encourage employees who drive alone to work to consider
using an alternative commute mode such as car or van pools, mass transit, biking or walking
*authorize agencies and authorities to permit alternative work schedules or telecommuting for all state employees where possible
*direct the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop programs to educate the driving public on conservation techniques, and
*direct OGS to study a plan to reimburse State employees for their mass transit costs.
The best way to work our way out of our energy crisis is through a concentrated effort by all of us to conserve, to use energy efficient appliances, cars, buildings and lifestyles, and to lead by example by making New York a model state toward an energy efficient future.
Legislative history
2015-16: S.1232A/A.5776A - Amend and Recommit to Investigations & Gov't Ops 2013-14: S.1611A - Amended and Recommitted to Investigations & Gov't Ops 2011-12: S1044A/A.6159 - Referred to Investigations & Gov't Ops 2010: S.2273B - Reported and Committed to Finance 2008: S.2649/A.10514 - Reported to Investigations & Gov't Ops 2006: S.8245 - Referred to Rules
Fiscal implications
None to State.
Local fiscal implications
None to localities.
Effective date
The 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.