What's happening
This bill exempts school bus sales and operation costs from sales tax and creates a panel to recommend greener school bus options.
Why it matters
School districts and bus operators could see significant cost savings. due to the sales tax exemption on purchasing, maintaining, and fueling school buses. This could free up funds for other educational or operational needs.
Potential acceleration of school bus fleet modernization. By removing tax barriers and establishing a specialized panel, the bill encourages districts to consider newer, more efficient, and potentially greener vehicles.
Environmental and public health implications. The Green Ribbon Panel’s recommendations could lead to reduced emissions from school transportation, improving air quality for students and communities, especially where diesel buses contribute to pollution.
Diverse stakeholder involvement. The panel includes representatives from industry, environmental groups, researchers, educators, and parents, ensuring that recommendations balance practical, environmental, and safety concerns for school transportation.
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Who cares
School bus operators
The bill would exempt school buses and the parts, equipment, lubricants and fuel purchased and used in their operation from sales and use tax.
Education Department, DMV and NYSERDA
The education commissioner would establish a Green Ribbon Panel in consultation with DMV and NYSERDA to recommend cleaner school bus upgrades.
Environmental protection groups and green vehicle researchers
Their representatives would serve on the panel, whose recommendations would address electric power, retrofits and other ways to reduce harmful school bus emissions.
School personnel and parents of school-aged children
Both groups would have representatives on the panel developing recommendations for greener, cleaner school buses.
Headline styles
End School Bus Sales Tax
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
22 Co-sponsors
- Carrie Woerner
- Fred Thiele
- Andrew Raia
- Harvey Epstein
- Steven Englebright
- Peter Abbate
- Inez E. Dickens
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Nader Sayegh
- John K. Mikulin
- Felix Ortiz
- Aileen Gunther
- Vivian Cook
- Catalina Cruz
- Jaime R. Williams
- Angelo J. Morinello
- Clifford Crouch
- Anthony D'Urso
- Taylor Darling
- Peter Lawrence
- Alicia Hyndman
- Judy Griffin
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to ways and means
- Print number 6474a
- Amend and recommit to ways and means
- Referred to ways and means
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.
End Sales Tax on School Buses
In Senate Committee · Budget And Revenue · Sponsor John E. Brooks
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6474--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 7, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. JEAN-PIERRE, WOERNER, THIELE, RAIA, EPSTEIN, ENGLEBRIGHT, ABBATE, DICKENS, JAFFEE, SAYEGH, MIKULIN, ORTIZ, GUNTHER, COOK, CRUZ, WILLIAMS, MORINELLO, CROUCH, D'URSO, RAYNOR, LAWRENCE, HYNDMAN, GRIFFIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the tax law, in relation to exempting from sales and use tax school buses; establishes a green ribbon panel to research greener school buses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 1115 of the tax law is amended by adding a new subdivision (ll) to read as follows:
(ll) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, receipts from the sale of school buses, as such term is defined in section one hundred forty-two of the vehicle and traffic law and parts, equipment, lubricants and fuel purchased and used in their operation, shall be exempt from taxes imposed by this article.
§ 2. (a) The commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioner of motor vehicles and the New York state energy research and development authority, shall establish a "Green Ribbon Panel" which shall research and develop recommendations for upgrading school buses to be greener and cleaner.
(b) The Green Ribbon Panel shall be composed of 12 members appointed by the commissioner of education provided that of such 12 members: three members shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the governor, three members shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the temporary president of the senate, three members shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the speaker of the assembly, and the remaining members shall be appointed in the sole discretion of the commissioner of educa-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09670-05-9
A. 6474--A 2
tion. The members of the Green Ribbon Panel shall include representatives from each of the following groups: the school bus industry, environmental protection groups, researchers on green vehicles, school personnel, and parents of school-aged children.
(c) The recommendations of the Green Ribbon Panel shall include, but not be limited to, electric power, retrofitting current school buses with green technology, and any other option which will have an immediate and long term impact on reducing harmful emissions from school buses in New York State.
(d) The members of the Green Ribbon Panel shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this act.
(e) The Green Ribbon Panel shall convene on or before August 1, 2020 to develop its recommendations. On or before January 1, 2021, the committee shall submit a preliminary report of its recommendations for consideration in the executive budget for the 2021-22 state fiscal year, and, on or before October 1, 2021, shall submit a final report of its recommendations to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first day of a quarterly sales tax period, as set forth in subdivision (b) of section 1136 of the tax law, next succeeding April 1, 2020. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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.