What's happening
This bill establishes a School Bus Motorist Education Fund to support public education and studies aimed at reducing illegal passing of stopped school buses in New York.
Why it matters
Creates a dedicated funding stream from fines for illegally passing stopped school buses. , ensuring that penalties paid by offenders are reinvested specifically into improving school bus safety rather than going into the general state budget.
Directs half of the new fund to research and develop strategies for reducing illegal school bus passing. , which could lead to more effective laws, enforcement techniques, or technological innovations to protect children.
Allocates the other half to public education campaigns targeting motorists. , aiming to raise awareness of the dangers and legal consequences of passing stopped school buses, potentially reducing violations through better-informed drivers.
Includes mechanisms for grant distribution and sustained funding. , allowing ongoing support for both research and education efforts, rather than one-time initiatives, which may lead to more lasting changes in driver behavior and student safety.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Boost School Bus Safety
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.488
- Reported and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to transportation
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4385
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the education law, in relation to the illegal passing of school buses and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the school bus motorist education fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 223-a to read as follows:
§ 223-a. School bus motorist education program. The commissioner shall, in conjunction with the governor's traffic safety committee, the departments of education and transportation, the division of state police, and the state comprehensive school bus driver safety training council, design and implement a public education program to educate motorists of the dangers of passing a school bus in violation of section eleven hundred seventy-four of this chapter, to reduce the number of such incidents, and to promote school bus safety.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 1809 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 309 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
3. The mandatory surcharge provided for in subdivision one of this section shall be paid to the clerk of the court or administrative tribunal that rendered the conviction. Within the first ten days of the month following collection of the mandatory surcharge the collecting authority shall determine the amount of mandatory surcharge collected and, if it is an administrative tribunal or a town or village justice court, it shall pay such money to the state comptroller who shall deposit such money in the state treasury pursuant to section one hundred twenty-one of the state finance law to the credit of the general fund; provided, however, that the comptroller shall deposit such money collected for
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00260-02-9
S. 4385 2
violations of section eleven hundred seventy-four of this chapter to the credit of the school bus motorist education fund established pursuant to section eighty-nine-j of the state finance law. If such collecting authority is any other court of the unified court system, it shall, within such period, pay such money to the state commissioner of taxation and finance to the credit of the criminal justice improvement account established by section ninety-seven-bb of the state finance law; provided, however, that the state commissioner of taxation and finance shall deposit such money collected for violations of section eleven hundred seventy-four of this chapter to the credit of the school bus motorist education fund established pursuant to section eighty-nine-j of the state finance law. The crime victim assistance fee provided for in subdivision one of this section shall be paid to the clerk of the court or administrative tribunal that rendered the conviction. Within the first ten days of the month following collection of the crime victim assistance fee, the collecting authority shall determine the amount of crime victim assistance fee collected and, if it is an administrative tribunal or a town or village justice court, it shall pay such money to the state comptroller who shall deposit such money in the state treasury pursuant to section one hundred twenty-one of the state finance law to the credit of the criminal justice improvement account established by section ninety-seven-bb of the state finance law.
§ 3. Subdivision 1 of section 3650 of the education law is amended by adding a new paragraph f to read as follows:
f. Award and distribute grants, following appropriation by the legislature which appropriation may include funds of the school bus motorist education fund established pursuant to section eighty-nine-j of the state finance law, for the study of issues involving the illegal passing of stopped school buses, the development of proposals to reduce the number of motorists passing school buses in violation of section eleven hundred seventy-four of the vehicle and traffic law, and to promote school bus safety.
§ 4. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 89-j to read as follows:
§ 89-j. The school bus motorist education fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner of taxation and finance a fund known as the school bus motorist education fund.
2. Such fund shall consist of monies received by the state from any court of the unified court system pursuant to section eighteen hundred nine of the vehicle and traffic law for violations of section eleven hundred seventy-four of such law, and all other fines, fees, grants, bequests or other monies credited, appropriated or transferred thereto from any other fund or source.
3. (a) Fifty percent of the monies of the fund, following appropriation by the legislature, shall be made available to the state comprehensive school bus driver safety training council for the study of the illegal passing of stopped school buses by motorists, and the development of proposals to reduce the number of motorists passing school buses in violation of section eleven hundred seventy-four of the vehicle and traffic law.
(b) The remaining fifty percent of the monies of such fund shall be made available to the department of motor vehicles for the design and implementation, in conjunction with the governor's traffic safety committee, the departments of education and transportation, the division of state police, and the state comprehensive school bus driver safety
S. 4385 3
training council, of a public education program to further educate motorists of the dangers of passing a school bus in violation of section eleven hundred seventy-four of the vehicle and traffic law, to reduce the number of such incidents, and to promote school bus safety.
4. The monies of the fund made available pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision three of this section shall be paid out on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner of education. The monies of the fund made available pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision three of this section shall be paid out on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner of motor vehicles. At the end of each year any monies remaining in the fund shall be retained in the fund and shall not revert to the general fund. The interest and income earned on money in the fund, after deducting any applicable charges, shall be credited to the fund.
§ 5. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the education law, in relation to the illegal passing of school buses and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the school bus motorist education fund
Purpose or general idea of bill
To discourage motorists from illegally passing stopped school buses, thereby improving the safety of school children.
Summary of specific provisions
Would direct the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, in conjunction with the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), the Departments of Education and Transportation, the Division of the State Police, and the State Comprehensive School Bus Driver Safety Training Council, to design and implement a public education program to educate motorists on the dangers of passing a school bus and to promote school bus safety.
Would also create a School Bus Motorist Education Fund, and direct that surcharges imposed for passing a stopped school bus be paid into this fund for use in providing grants for the study of the issue, the devel- opment of proposals to reduce the number of violations, and to promote school bus safety, as well as to fund the aforementioned public educa- tion program.
Effects of present law which this bill would alter
Adds new § 223-a to the VTL, amends VTL 1809(3), adds new paragraph (f) to Education Law § 3650(1), and adds a new § 89-i to the State Finance Law.
Justification
The problem of the illegal passing of school buses has been a re-occur- ring one, raising concerns among parents, drivers and transportation administrators alike. It has been estimated that over 50,000 illegal passing of buses occur each school day in New York. The legislation would earmark the surcharges collected from persons convicted of ille- gally passing a school bus to a special fund. Of this money, half would be allocated to the Comprehensive School Bus Driver Training Council for grants to specifically study the illegal Passing of school buses.
Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced grants to four groups, outside New York, to study how to curb the prob- lem of motorists ignoring school bus flashing red warning lights. The State's unique character necessitates that a similar study be conducted in New York.
The remaining half of the monies would be used by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to develop and present public service announcements to be aired statewide. This two prong approach will result in increased safety for the State's 2.3 million children who ride school buses to and from school each day in New York State.
Prior legislative history
2017-2018: S.3276 REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION 2015-2016: S.1239/A.458 Reported and Committed to Finance 2013-2014: S.2843/A.99 Referred to Transportation; 2011-2012: S.5741/A.1178 - Referred to Transportation/Passed the Assem- bly 2009-2010: S.1244/A.4054 - Referred to Finance
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
Unknown.
Effective date
January 1 after enactment.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.