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A10303 Summary:

BILL NOA10303B
 
SAME ASSAME AS S08119-C
 
SPONSORDinowitz
 
COSPNSRTaylor, Rivera, Abinanti, Bichotte, Otis, Lentol, Gottfried, Montesano, Simon, O'Donnell, Ortiz, Buttenschon, Rosenthal L, DenDekker, Malliotakis, Epstein, Seawright, Reyes, Perry, Blake, Colton, Simotas, Weinstein, Weprin
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd 15-b & 15-c, Transp L
 
Relates to paratransit services within the state and city of New York during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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A10303 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A10303b
 
SPONSOR: Dinowitz
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the transportation law, in relation to paratransit services within the state and city of New York during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To ensure that paratransit services-an essential lifeline of many New Yorkers-continue operating and observe certain public health and safety protocols for the benefit of workers, employees, paratransit users, families and the general public.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Amends the Transportation Law to provide the following: Postponement of Eligibility Expiration. The eligibility of all ADA para- transit eligible customers, whose certification would otherwise expire between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020, shall be extended through at least August 31, 2020 by the applicable public transportation authority/provider in New York State; Temporary Suspension of In-Person Eligibility Assessments. The applica- ble public transportation authority/provider in New York State shall render eligibility determinations based solely on information contained in the written application and submitted medical documentation, until August 31, 2020; Individual Trip Scheduling. Through at least July 31, 2020, the applica- ble public transportation authorities/providers in New York State shall dispatch and route individual rather than shared paratransit trips, to the maximum extent possible, and notify customers as soon as practicable in advance in the event that their ride will be shared with another customer. Customers shall have the right to refuse or reschedule shared rides, which shall be without penalty provided customers respond within a reasonable amount of time; Virus Protection Measures. All applicable public transportation authorities/providers in New York State and their contractors will ensure that all paratransit drivers and personnel providing paratransit services are provided with hand sanitizer, disposable sterile gloves, face masks and training on preventive measures to protect customers, paratransit drivers, and personnel providing paratransit services from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, consistent with current CDC, OSHA, and NYSDOH guidelines; and Extension. All applicable public transportation authorities/providers in New York State shall have the authority to extend any date provided in the bill if they deem it necessary in the interest of public health and safety.   DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IT APPLICABLE): Provides technical corrections to clarify various provisions of the bill.   JUSTIFICATION: The coronavirus disease epidemic has changed all aspects of our lives; one particularly vulnerable population are New Yorkers whose only means of travel is via paratransit services. This legislation enacts a number of important temporary measures designed to keep the system seamlessly moving and keep everyone safe.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: Undetermined.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A10303 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                        10303--B
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     April 15, 2020
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. DINOWITZ, TAYLOR, RIVERA, ABINANTI, BICHOTTE,
          OTIS, LENTOL, GOTTFRIED, MONTESANO, SIMON, O'DONNELL -- read once  and
          referred  to  the Committee on Transportation -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee  -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the  transportation  law,  in  relation  to  paratransit
          services  within the state and city of New York during the coronavirus
          (COVID-19) pandemic
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1. Subdivision 5 of section 15-b of the transportation law is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph c to read as follows:
     3    c. (1) (a) The period of validity of the paratransit certification  of
     4  all  Americans  with  Disabilities Act paratransit eligible individuals,
     5  whose certification would otherwise  expire  between  March  first,  two
     6  thousand  twenty  and  July  thirty-first, two thousand twenty, shall be
     7  extended through August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
     8    (b) Each contractor providing paratransit services shall render eligi-
     9  bility determinations for any application for Americans  with  Disabili-
    10  ties  Act paratransit based solely on information contained in the writ-
    11  ten application and in submitted  medical  documentation,  until  August
    12  thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    13    (c)  All  contractors providing paratransit services shall, until July
    14  thirty-first, two thousand twenty, dispatch and route individual  rather
    15  than shared paratransit rides, to the maximum extent possible, and shall
    16  notify  customers  as  soon  as practicable in advance in the event that
    17  their ride will be shared with another customer.  Such  customers  shall
    18  have  the  right  to  refuse  or  reschedule  rides that would have been
    19  shared, and any such refusal or rescheduling shall  be  without  penalty
    20  provided they respond within a reasonable amount of time.
    21    (d)  All contractors providing paratransit services in the city of New
    22  York shall ensure that all paratransit drivers and  personnel  providing
    23  paratransit  services are provided with hand sanitizer, disposable ster-
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16013-18-0

        A. 10303--B                         2
 
     1  ile gloves, face masks and training on preventive  measures  to  protect
     2  customers,  paratransit  drivers  and  personnel  providing  paratransit
     3  services from COVID-19 and other infectious  diseases,  consistent  with
     4  current  guidelines  from  the  federal  centers for disease control and
     5  prevention, the federal occupational safety and  health  administration,
     6  and the New York state department of health.
     7    (2)  Any  contractor  providing  paratransit services is authorized to
     8  extend any date set forth in clause (a), (b) or (c) of subparagraph  one
     9  of  this  paragraph, if, in the interest of the health and safety of the
    10  public due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, such contractor deems
    11  such extension to be necessary.
    12    § 2. Subdivision 5 of  section  15-c  of  the  transportation  law  is
    13  amended by adding a new paragraph e to read as follows:
    14    e.  (1) (a) The period of validity of the paratransit certification of
    15  all Americans with Disabilities Act  paratransit  eligible  individuals,
    16  whose  certification  would  otherwise  expire  between March first, two
    17  thousand twenty and July thirty-first, two  thousand  twenty,  shall  be
    18  extended through August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    19    (b)  Each transportation provider providing paratransit services shall
    20  render eligibility determinations for any application for Americans with
    21  Disabilities Act paratransit based solely on  information  contained  in
    22  the  written  application  and in submitted medical documentation, until
    23  August thirty-first, two thousand twenty.
    24    (c) All transportation providers providing paratransit services shall,
    25  until July thirty-first, two thousand twenty, dispatch and  route  indi-
    26  vidual  rather  than  shared  paratransit  rides,  to the maximum extent
    27  possible, and shall notify customers as soon as practicable  in  advance
    28  in  the event that their ride will be shared with another customer. Such
    29  customers shall have the right to refuse or reschedule rides that  would
    30  have  been shared, and any such refusal or rescheduling shall be without
    31  penalty provided they respond within a reasonable amount of time.
    32    (d) All transportation providers  providing  paratransit  services  in
    33  this  state  shall  ensure  that  all  paratransit drivers and personnel
    34  providing paratransit services are provided with hand sanitizer, dispos-
    35  able sterile gloves, face masks and training on preventive  measures  to
    36  protect customers, paratransit drivers and personnel providing paratran-
    37  sit  services  from  COVID-19  and other infectious diseases, consistent
    38  with current guidelines from the federal centers for disease control and
    39  prevention, the federal occupational safety and  health  administration,
    40  and the New York state department of health.
    41    (2)  Any  transportation  provider  providing  paratransit services is
    42  authorized to extend any date set forth in clause (a),  (b)  or  (c)  of
    43  subparagraph  one  of  this paragraph, if, in the interest of the health
    44  and safety of the public due to  the  coronavirus  (COVID-19)  pandemic,
    45  such transportation provider deems such extension to be necessary.
    46    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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