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A09558 Summary:

BILL NOA09558
 
SAME ASSAME AS S08670-A
 
SPONSORPheffer Amato
 
COSPNSRWilliams
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd 1704-a, V & T L
 
Establishes a central business district toll exemption for employees of the fire department of the city of New York in the title of firefighter, fire marshal, marine engineer, pilot or wiper.
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A09558 Actions:

BILL NOA09558
 
03/20/2024referred to transportation
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A09558 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A9558
 
SPONSOR: Pheffer Amato
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing a central business district toll exemption for certain employees of the fire department of the city of New York   PURPOSE:: To provide a central business district toll exemption for New York City- Fire Department employees in the titles of firefighter, fire marshal, marine engineer, pilot, wiper, emergency medical technician and advanced emergency medical technician.   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:: Section 1 of the bill would add a new subdivision 2-b to § 1704-a of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide an exemption from the central busi- ness district toll for any firefighter, fire marshal, marine engineer, pilot, wiper, emergency medical technician or advanced emergency medical technician, employed by the New York City Fire Department. Section 2 provides that the bill shall take effect immediately.   JUSTIFICATION:: The Central Business District Tolling Zone extends from 60th Street in Manhattan to all of the roadways south of 60th Street, with exceptions. Under the toll zone program, passenger vehicles entering or remaining in the Central Business District would be charged a toll. The existing statute provides an exemption for any "qualifying authorized emergency vehicle," which includes "fire vehicles" and "emergency, ambulance service vehicles". However, these fire and ambulance vehicles are located and maintained at Firehouses and EMS stations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, including within the congestion pricing zone. Regardless of the assigned work location of a Firefi_ghter or EMS worker, the private vehicles of these employees have become a daily extension ofthe Fire Department because any of these employees may be detailed to a work location either inside or outside of the Central Business District Tolling Zone. The detailed Firefighter or EMS worker will learn of their detail assignment after arriving at their normal work location. If a Firefighter or EMS worker is assigned to work in the Central Business District, or elsewhere in New York City, and is detailed to another work location in New York City, then such employee will have first traveled from their residence to their assigned location, and then will have to travel with their approximately seventy (70) pound gear-bag containing carcinogenic gear to the detail location, and then back to their assigned work location following the detail tour. This bill would clarify that Firefighters and EMS workers who travel to their assigned Manhattan Fire and EMS stations, or are detailed from other areas of the City to work in any Manhattan Fire and EMS station for the purpose of fulfilling their duty of protecting the public, will not incur a toll, which could otherwise result in these Firefighters and EMS workers paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in tolls each year. Failure to clantr that the exemption exists for Firefighters and EMS workers traveling into the Central Business District Tolling Zone to perform their duty, will lead to these employees using public transpor- tation, which will create a dangerous physically demanding exercise when these employees need to travel on foot using public transportation, while carrying their full gear bag, which consists of bunker gear, boots, helmet, gloves, personal tools, and a 2nd set of clothing with personal shower/decontamination supplies (in the event a member must decontaminate from a fire/incident). In addition, .the use of public transportation by these employees will needlessly expose the public to this carcinogenic gear. Further, the additional toll costs will be a disincentive for Firefighters and EMS workers to accept re gular work assignments in the toll zone.   EFFECTIVE DATE:: This bill would take effect immediately.
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A09558 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          9558
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     March 20, 2024
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Transportation
 
        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
          a central business district toll exemption for  certain  employees  of
          the fire department of the city of New York
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Section 1704-a of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by
     2  adding a new subdivision 2-b to read as follows:
     3    2-b. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, no employee of the
     4  fire department of the city of New York in  the  title  of  firefighter,
     5  fire  marshal,  marine  engineer, pilot or wiper, and no employee of the
     6  fire department of the city of New York in  a  title  whose  duties  are
     7  those  of  an emergency medical technician or advanced emergency medical
     8  technician (as those terms are defined in section three thousand one  of
     9  the  public  health  law),  shall be charged a central business district
    10  toll.
    11    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
 

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14551-03-4
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