What's happening
This bill expands the Long Island Rail Road no fare program to include district attorney detective and rackets investigators in Nassau, Suffolk, and New York City.
Why it matters
Expanding fare-free travel to district attorney investigators recognizes their law enforcement role. , potentially improving their ability to respond quickly to incidents or investigations across Long Island and NYC without concern for travel costs.
This inclusion may enhance overall commuter safety. , as more law enforcement personnel—now including these investigators—can be present and visible on Long Island Rail Road trains, serving as a deterrent to crime and providing rapid response if needed.
The bill reflects a broader trend of granting law enforcement-related staff additional privileges. , potentially setting a precedent for similar benefits for other public safety roles in the future, which could affect how transit resources are allocated.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Free LIRR Rides for Investigators
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 7
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 59–3
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1104
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Delivered to assembly
Show 4 earlier actions
- Passed senateVote 62–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.1512
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to transportation
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.
Free LIRR Rides for Investigators
In Assembly Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Peter Abbate
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6309
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. PHILLIPS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to including certain district attorney detective investigators in the MTA Long Island Railroad no fare program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 14 of section 1266 of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 182 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
14. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law or the terms of any contract, the authority, in consultation with the Long Island Rail Road, shall establish and implement a no fare program for transportation on the Long Island Rail Road for police officers employed by the city of New York, county of Nassau, Nassau county villages and cities, county of Suffolk, Suffolk county villages and towns, the division of state police, the port authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, the New York city housing authority [and] , the New York city transit authority and "detective investigators" or "rackets investigators" employed in the office of a district attorney located within the county of Nassau, county of Suffolk, or the city of New York. In establishing such program, which has as its goal increased protection and improved safety for its commuters, the authority and the Long Island Rail Road shall, among other things, consider: (a) requiring police officers who ride without cost to register with the Long Island Rail Road as a condition of riding without cost; (b) requiring such officers to indicate during such registration process their regular working hours and the Long Island Rail Road trains that such officers expect to ride; and (c) periodically re-registering and re-validating such officers. The authority and the Long Island Rail Road shall also have the power to consider other matters necessary to carry out the goals and objectives of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06647-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to including certain district attorney detective investigators in the MTA Long Island Railroad no fare program
Purpose
The purpose of this legislation is to include local District Attorney Detective Investigators and Rackets Investigators in the MTA Long Island Railroad no-fare program to provide additional security for passengers in the event of critical incidents.
Summary of provisions
Section one of this bill amends subdivision 14 of section 1266 of the Public Authorities law to include "detective investigators" and "rackets investigators" employed by a district attorney located in Nassau County, Suffolk County or the City of New York in the MTA Long Island Railroad no-fare program.
Section two of this bill provides that this act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
The free ride program enacted into law has provided an extra amount of security for the commuters of the Long Island Railroad for over 20 years. The intent of the original legislation was to encourage police officers to use the railroad as a method of transportation so that in the event of a critical incident, more officers would be immediately available for the protection of the commuters. The original law included several police agencies so there would be a greater number of officers available. Amending this law to add local District Attorney's Detective and Rackets Investigators would provide an additional layer of security. These highly skilled investigators are all Police Officers, who typically have more than 20 years of law enforcement experience. They work independently or alongside members of the NYPD, other local jurisdiction Police Departments, State Police, FBI, and Homeland Security. Their vast experience and training would be a great asset in providing even more security and assisting in critical incidents that may occur.
Prior legislative history
S6744-A of 2016
Fiscal impact
To be determined.
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.