Transportation (Public Transit)

This bill asks Governor Kathy Hochul to officially designate March 18, 2026, as Transit Employee Appreciation Day in New York State. It directly affects the approximately 200,000 transit workers across the state, including bus drivers, train operators, mechanics, and dispatchers. The resolution serves as a formal recognition of the contributions these employees make to public transportation and community safety. The bill is ceremonial in nature and does not create new laws or change existing policies.

Directs the metropolitan transportation authority to establish a city university of New York student fare program for trains and buses which provides a full fare reduction for five train and/or bus fares each weekday equal to the standard pay-per-ride fare.

Provides that the use of school bus photo violation monitoring systems shall be limited to the geographic boundaries of school districts which adopt resolutions opting into such programs.

This bill mandates that the New York City Transit Authority must have at least one conductor on every subway or train, with limited exceptions for current operations. The law defines a conductor as the staff member responsible for safety tasks like opening and closing doors, distinguishing them from the driver or engineer. Proponents argue this requirement enhances passenger safety and provides a critical first responder presence to handle emergencies or potential security threats. The measure applies immediately to all passenger trains operated by the authority.

This bill allows New York school districts to use existing private transportation contractors from other districts to transport their students, a practice known as "piggybacking," if doing so results in cost savings and meets safety standards. It authorizes school boards to enter into these agreements with the commissioner's approval and defines the types of transportation contracts and vehicles covered under the new rules. Additionally, the legislation updates legal definitions related to school buses, drivers, and motor carriers, while requiring annual reviews of bus driver driving records to ensure safety compliance. The changes directly affect school districts, transportation contractors, and drivers involved in student transportation logistics.

This bill directs the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on how to use time-delay egress mechanisms, which are safety gates that lock during emergencies to prevent panic. It requires these gates to remain locked only when staff are physically present at a subway station to handle emergencies, except for a two-hour window during temporary staff shortages like shift changes. If a station is not staffed at all, the bill mandates that these specific emergency gates must be deactivated. The rules apply solely to these emergency exit gates and do not affect regular fare gates, while also ensuring the MTA continues to follow existing fire and safety codes.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state transportation, economic development and environmental conservation budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; extends provisions of law relating to increasing certain motor vehicle transaction fees (Part A); extends the accident prevention course internet technology pilot program (Part B); establishes a demonstration program in the city of New York for the installation and operation of intelligent speed assistance devices (Part D); extends provisions of law relating to motor vehicles equipped with autonomous vehicle technology (Part E); expands the automated work zone speed enforcement program utilizing photo speed violation monitoring systems to include all New York highways (Part G); extends provisions of law relating to certain tax increment financing provisions relating to the New York transit authority and the metropolitan transportation authority (Part H); authorizes the MTA to conduct environmental reviews under SEQRA for the crosstown extension of the Second Avenue subway project in two stages (Part I); enacts the dairy promotion act; enacts provisions related to the marketing of agricultural products in New York state; repeals certain provisions relating thereto (Part J); extends the refundability of the investment tax credit for farmers (Part K); authorizes the New York state energy research and development authority to finance a portion of its research, development and demonstration, policy and planning, and Fuel NY program from an assessment on gas and electric corporations (Part M); requires gas, electric, steam and water-works corporations to provide an executive compensation disclosure; requires such corporations to return all revenues derived from their actual return on equity in excess of the authorized rate of return to ratepayers; clarifies costs not to be included in rates (Part N); authorizes the public service commission to consider and approve multi-year changes in rates or charges for utilities (Part O); establishes an energy affordability index; permits the public service commission to implant affordability monitors in certain gas or electric corporations (Part P); makes reforms to the state environmental quality review act relating to sustainable housing and sprawl prevention (Part R); increases rebates for certain vehicles purchased by municipalities (Part S); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions of law relating to the powers and duties of the dormitory authority to establish subsidiaries (Part T); authorizes the trustees of the state university of New York to lease and contract to make available certain land on the state university of New York at Farmingdale's campus (Subpart A); authorizes the trustees of the state university of New York to lease and contract to make available certain land on the state university of New York at Stony Brook's campus (Subpart B); authorizes the commissioner of transportation to transfer and convey certain state-owned real property in the town of Babylon, county of Suffolk (Subpart C); authorizes the trustees of the state university of New York to lease and contract to make available grounds and facilities on the state university of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry to the Abby Lane Housing Corporation (Part D)(Part U); extends the authority of the New York state urban development corporation to administer the empire state economic development fund (Part V); extends the loan powers of the New York state urban development corporation (Part W); enacts the "safe by design act" to authorize the attorney general to promulgate rules and regulations identifying methods for reasonable and technically feasible age assurance which may consider the size, financial resources, and technical capabilities of covered platforms, the costs and effectiveness of available age determination techniques for users of such platforms, the audience of such platforms, and prevalent practices of the industry of the operator (Part Y); relates to requiring insurers to provide written explanations for premium changes in certain covered policies (Part BB); places limitations on damages resulting from motor vehicle accidents (Part EE); requires insurers to file annual reports on insurance for multi-family buildings with the superintendent of financial services (Part GG); relates to the annual consumer guide of health insurers (Subpart A); relates to ongoing treatment by an out-of-network provider during pregnancy (Subpart B); relates to accessible formulary drug lists (Subpart C); relates to utilization reviews for treatment for a chronic health condition (Subpart D) (Part HH); extends the policy period for excess profit refunds or credits to motor vehicle insurance policyholders; requires insurers to submit reports demonstrating whether the insurer realized an excess profit and completed making any credits required (Part KK); relates to the effectiveness of the New York state health insurance continuation assistance demonstration project (Part LL); enacts the "Long Island MacArthur Airport terminal and rail integration project act" (Part NN); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions permitting videoconferencing and remote participation in public meetings under certain circumstances (Part OO); exempts major electric generating facilities that provide emergency back-up generation for manufacturing facilities that produce semiconductors from siting requirements set forth in article 10 of the public service law (Part PP); establishes the crime of criminal interference with access to a place of religious worship (Part QQ); extend provisions of law permitting NYC, Nassau and Suffolk to retain a portion of certain fines under the Cleaner, Greener NY Act of 2013 (Part RR); enacts the accelerate solar for affordable power (ASAP) act to direct the public service commission to advance reforms to the utility interconnection process to ensure timely and cost-effective integration of new distributed energy resources (Part SS); establishes a blue ribbon commission on residential affordability through energy savings (RATES commission) to study the causes and origins of rising utility rates and to recommend actions or reforms to reduce rates; provides for the repeal of such commission upon expiration thereof (Part TT); authorizes the creation of a traffic camera violations bureau to adjudicate owner liability for failure of operator to stop for a school bus displaying a red visual signal and stop-arm (Part UU); relates to climate change; requires the plan toward achieving the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits to be updated in 2028 and every six years thereafter; outlines factors to include when developing a regulatory program or programs (Part VV); establishes a monitor team to oversee the Wyandanch union free school district (Part WW); relates to certain retirement benefit enhancements members of tier VI (Part XX); relation to the re-amortization and valuation methods used for contributions to the New York city employees retirement system, the New York city teachers' retirement system, the police pension fund, subchapter two, the fire department pension fund, subchapter two and the board of education retirement system of such city (Part YY); relates to service retirement benefits for uniformed members of the New York city fire department pension fund (Part ZZ); provides for longevity bonuses relating to first grade firefighters and promotions from the firefighter rank (Part AAA); requires certain pension systems to submit a self-report to the superintendent of the department of financial services; requires the superintendent of the department of financial services to submit a report on such reports (Part BBB); allows a beneficiary of a member whose death occurs on or after July 1, 2026 and who would have been entitled to a service credit at the time of such member's death to elect to receive a lump sum payment equal to the pension reserve that would have been established had the member retired on the date of such member's death (Part CCC); relates to certain retirement benefit enhancements for certain state law enforcement officers (Part DDD); relates to the treatment of prior service with certain agencies by the New York city police pension fund (Part EEE); relates to the restoration of 20 year service retirement for certain New York city corrections officers and sanitation workers (Part FFF); provides for the administration of certain funds and accounts related to the 2026--2027 budget (Part GGG); adds ten additional judges to the civil court of the city of New York (Part HHH); establishes the Excelsior power program designed to reduce peak energy demand (Part III); authorizes certain work in connection with the District Galleria project in the city of White Plains (Part JJJ).

This bill amends New York's penal law to explicitly include operators and crew of passenger commuter ferries as protected individuals under assault in the second degree. It expands the existing definition to specify that intentionally causing physical injury to these ferry workers during their duties constitutes a more serious offense. The law directly affects ferry operators, crew members, and other transit workers (like train operators, bus drivers, station cleaners, and sanitation staff) who perform assigned duties on transportation systems. The key change is adding ferry personnel to the list of protected workers, making assault against them a specific criminal violation under the law.

Provides a defense from liability for MTA vehicles standing, stopped, or parked in violation of certain bus lane restrictions in New York city where such MTA vehicles were operated by an employee of the MTA performing authorized duties.

Provides a defense from liability for MTA vehicles standing, stopped, or parked in violation of certain bus lane restrictions in New York city where such MTA vehicles were operated by an employee of the MTA performing authorized duties.