Issues & Advocacy

NYAPT has engaged in advocacy for student and school bus safety for many years. We are proud of our impact on many key laws and regulations that govern our school transportation in New York. We believe our efforts help to keep our children and our school bus fleets safe and secure.

As professionals, we accept the responsibility for advocating before and educating public officials objectively and honestly about the needs of school transportation. We take our role as advocates very seriously. The safety and lives of our children are at stake.

We are also intensely aware of the need to identify and execute measures that will make our operations ever more efficient without compromising safety. Our advocacy efforts include recommendations that enhance performance, accountability and cost efficiency.

LOBBY AND ADVOCACY INITIATIVE: ILLEGAL PASSING

On May 4th and May 5th, we are asking NYAPT members individually or through their chapters to contact their local Assembly Members and Senators to discuss important legislation related to Illegal Passing of school buses in violation of Section 1174 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.

Illegal passing is a safety risk to our children that occurs an estimated 50,000 times per school day.  Children are exposed to motorists who pass their school bus from the front and the rear and in a more recent and troubling phenomenon, on the right hand or boarding side of the school bus.  Over the years, NYAPT has partnered with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, other educational organizations and the law enforcement community to attempt to address this problem and it has continued unabated.

More must be done and we believe that some of the answer lies in tarteted and strategic legislation.  Accordingly, we are advocating for the following and our members will reach out to their local legislators for the purpose of educating them on the problem of illegal passing and seeking their support for legislation that we believe moves our state in the right direction.

NYAPT is supporting the following legislation that relates to illegal passing prevention, reduction and prosecution of violators:

A.1178 (Assemblyman Gantt) and S. 5741 (Senator Parker) [CLICK HERE] — this legislation would create an education fund using a dedicated portion of the proceeds from penalties levied against violators of Section 1174.  The funds that were generated could be used for the study of issues related to the illegal passing of school buses, development of proposals to reduce illegal passing and public education on the dangers of illegal passing and about overall school bus safety.

A.4416 (Assemblyman Rivera) and S. 4062 (Senator Young) [CLICK HERE] — this legislation would accomplish several objectives, including the following:

>>>  makes the registered owner of a vehicle equally liable with the operator of the vehicle if the vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus;

>>>  allows for prosecution against a Section 1174 violator based on evidence collected by a camera or the statement of a school bus driver;

>>>  increases penalties for injuries and fatalities caused by a vehicle that has illegally passed a stopped school bus.

Members should use the following Memoranda in Support of these bills when contacting Senators and Assembly Members at any time, but particularly on May 3rd and May 4th.

MEMORANDUM in Support of A1178/S5741  [CLICK HERE]

Copies of this memorandum can and should be sent to local Senators and Assembly Members.

MEMORANDUM in Support of A4416/S4062 [CLICK HERE]

Copies of this memorandum can and should be sent to local Senators and Assembly Members.

NYAPT MANDATE RELIEF STATEMENT

On Friday, March 16, 2012, NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, appeared as a witness before the State Mandate Relief Council at the University at Buffalo.  The Council is a statutorily created body charged with identifying and acting on potential mandate relief measures.

NYAPT presented the Council with a discussion about school transportation, its values, its expenses, and areas in which its costs could be reduced.  Read a copy of the text of the NYAPT Mandate Relief statement.

OFFICIAL NYAPT STATEMENT ON THE EXECUTIVE BUDGET PROPOSAL–Click Here

2012-2013 NY State Budget Final Documents

2012-2013 NYS Budget School Aid Runs

2012-2013 Education Budget Conference Committee Report

2012-2013 Transportation Budget Conference Committee Report

A.9057D/S.6257D …  Article VII Bill related to the Education Budget

A.9058D/S.6258D … Article VII Bill related to the Transportation Budget

THANK YOU STATE LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNOR:

With the State Budget resolved and with issues related to school transportation resolved favorably for another year, it is important that we take time to recognize the work that our state legislators completed with the Governor in adopting this budget.

NYAPT has written to the Governor and the State Legislators and we encourage our members to do the same thing—perhaps just attaching our NYAPT letters to a note of their own and sending it on to their Senators and Assembly Members.

It is always important to say “THANK YOU” to those who treat us well and act in our best interest.  It is time to do that—to say “THANK YOU!” for the budget that was passed, on time and with school transportation treated more favorably than we suspected might happen.    Use the Legislators letters below to send your legislators a THANK YOU for this budget and to urge them to work with us on other legislation important to school transportation and school bus safety.

LETTER TO STATE LEGISLATORS

LETTER TO GOVERNOR CUOMO

2012 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

The foundation for our advocacy efforts is our annual School Transportation Legislative Agenda which formulates key issues that we believe need to be enacted by the State Legislature and the Governor in the year ahead.

CLICK HERE to review a copy of our 2012 Legislative Agenda.

Letter to Governor Cuomo on Mandate Relief

NYAPT has written to Governor Cuomo advocating for mandate relief measures that would save hundreds of thousands of dollars for the State and local school districts. The position NYAPT has taken is that these measures would result in immediate savings where the results broad-brush measures at Regionalizing transportation services are unknown and longer-term. CLICK HERE to view a copy of the letter to Governor Cuomo on Mandate Relief dated December 28, 2011.The letter follows up on the REPORT of the Governor’s Mandate Relief Design Team issued December 23, 2011.

BOARD OF REGENTS

Each year, the NYS Board of Regents issues its annual proposal for State Aid to School Districts. This proposal lays out the recommendations of the Regents related to funding that is necessary to enable and assist school districts to meet the academic needs of their students.  CLICK HERE for a copy of the Regents 2012-2013 School Aid Proposal.

LEGISLATIVE MEMORANDA

It is a goal of the NYAPT Board of Directors to ensure that NYAPT offers comments on each piece of legislation that comes before the Legislature dealing with school transportation or school bus safety.  A matrix of our positions on specific legislative proposals will be published shortly before January 1st so as to be updated as the 2012 Legislative session proceeds.

PUBLIC POLICY POSITIONS

The NYAPT Board of Directors has adopted formal and structured position statements on several issues of importance in the school transportation industry.  These statements are statements of principle and policy and do not deal with specific legislative or budgetary proposals.  They are intended to provide an industry and New York perspective on issues or emerging trends that affect school bus safety.  We encourage the public and the news media to be aware of these positions and to contact our NYAPT office or our membership for further discussion on any or all of these topics. Current updated statements relate to:

• seat belts on school buses
• best practice regarding unattended school buses
• training for drivers of special needs students
• cell phone usage on school buses
• use of “occasional drivers”
• allowing motorists to pass a stopped school bus (waving by)

  For additional information, contact the NYAPT office at 518-463-4937 or our Executive Director at peter@nyapt.org.

CONTACT WITH GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE AND REGENTS

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• Assembly
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