Requires the Long Island Rail Road, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, and the New York City Transit Authority establish a no fare program for the transportation of certain active duty, uniform police officers.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9825
SPONSOR: Zebrowski TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company and the New York city transit
authority establish a no fare program for the transportation of certain
active duty, uniform police officers
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would create no fare programs for transportation on the Long
Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad for police offi-
cers, establish and implement a similar program for transportation on
New York City Transit Authority systems, and establish safeguards for
eligibility for these programs.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Adds the Metro-North Commuter Railroad ("MNR") and the rele-
vant local police commands to the existing statute, Public Authorities
Law § 1266(14), requiring the MTA to establish a no-fare program for
transportation on the Long Island Rail Road ("LIRR") for certain police
officers, thereby codifying the existing MNR program. Additionally, a
subsequent new subdivision to that section is added requiring the MTA,
in consultation with the New York City Transit Authority ("NYCTA"), to
establish a similar no-fare program for eligible officers in both the
LIRR and MNR programs on NYCTA systems.
Section 2. The act shall take effect thirty days after it has become
law.
JUSTIFICATION:
While MTA ridership has remained far below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels,
the number of assaults on the subway have significantly increased. Cover
all, the rate of felonies per million riders remains above pre- pandemic
levels. It is imperative that riders can travel safely through-out the
MTA system, particularly at a time when more people are returning to
in-person work, school, and other activities. People will increasingly
turn to private cars, taxis, and ride-sharing services to avoid mass
transit if they do not feel it is safe. Providing active-duty police
officers with free rides on the LIRR, Metro-North, and New York City
Transit will encourage these officers to use mass transit to get to and
from work, providing increased police presence on trains. The presence
of officers will deter crime and provide riders with an increased sense
of safety. In addition, restructuring existing programs that provide
free passes to police officers could potentially result in up $130
million in annual savings to the MTA.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: S6907/A7098A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect thirty days after it has become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9825
IN ASSEMBLY
April 9, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ZEBROWSKI -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company and the New York city transit
authority establish a no fare program for the transportation of
certain active duty, uniform police officers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 14 of section 1266 of the public authorities
2 law, as amended by chapter 182 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read
3 as follows:
4 14. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law or the terms of any
5 contract, to increase protection and improve safety for its customers
6 and employees, the authority[, in consultation with the Long Island Rail
7 Road,] shall establish and implement a no fare program for transporta-
8 tion on the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad
9 for trained and sworn police officers [employed by the city of New York,
10 county of Nassau, Nassau county villages and cities, county of Suffolk,
11 Suffolk county villages and towns,] in good standing with active law
12 enforcement responsibilities who are employed by any county, town, city
13 or village in the metropolitan commuter transportation district, the
14 division of state police, and the port authority of New York and New
15 Jersey[, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, the New York city
16 housing authority and the New York city transit authority]. In estab-
17 lishing such program, [which has as its goal increased protection and
18 improved safety for its commuters,] the authority [and the Long Island
19 Rail Road] shall, among other things, consider: (a) requiring [police]
20 such officers [who ride without cost] to register with the Long Island
21 Rail Road and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company as a condition
22 of riding without cost; (b) requiring such officers when registering to
23 [indicate during such registration process] state their regular working
24 hours and the [Long Island Rail Road] trains that such officers expect
25 to ride; [and] (c) [periodically] annually re-registering [and re-vali-
26 dating] such officers; and (d) requiring such officers to present law
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05292-01-3
A. 9825 2
1 enforcement identification along with any pass the authority may issue
2 in relation to this program. The authority [and the Long Island Rail
3 Road] shall also have the power to consider other matters necessary to
4 carry out the goals and objectives of this section. Nothing in this
5 subdivision shall limit the authority from providing no fare transporta-
6 tion on any of its subways, buses or commuter trains for police officers
7 employed by the city of New York or for police officers or peace offi-
8 cers employed by the authority or its affiliates.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
10 have become a law.
