Bill Text: NY S00509 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Includes the New York city transit authority systems and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company in the no fare program for police officers; includes retired police officers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S00509 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00509-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           509

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. PALUMBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the public authorities law and  the  criminal  procedure
          law,  in relation to establishing a no fare program for transportation
          on New York city transit authority systems, the Long Island Rail  Road
          and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company for certain police offi-
          cers and retired 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, the authority, in consultation with the Long Island Rail Road,
     6  the  New York city transit authority, and the Metro-North Commuter Rail-
     7  road Company, shall establish and implement a no fare program for trans-
     8  portation on the Long Island  Rail  Road,  the  New  York  city  transit
     9  authority  systems,  and  the  Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company for
    10  current and retired police officers, who possess a valid pistol  permit,
    11  employed by or retired from service with the city of New York, county of
    12  Nassau,  Nassau  county  villages and cities, county of Suffolk, Suffolk
    13  county villages and towns,  the  division  of  state  police,  the  port
    14  authority  of New York and New Jersey, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad
    15  Company, the New York city housing authority and the New York city tran-
    16  sit authority. In establishing such  program,  which  has  as  its  goal
    17  increased protection and improved safety for its commuters, the authori-
    18  ty  [and the Long Island Rail Road] shall, among other things, consider:
    19  (a) requiring police officers and retired police officers who ride with-
    20  out cost to register with the Long Island Rail Road, the New  York  city
    21  transit  authority,  and  the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company as a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02146-01-5
        S. 509                              2

     1  condition of riding without cost; (b) requiring such officers  to  indi-
     2  cate  during  such  registration process their regular working hours, if
     3  applicable, and the [Long Island Rail Road trains] specific subway, bus,
     4  railroad and paratransit services that such officers expect to ride; and
     5  (c)  periodically  re-registering  and  re-validating such officers. The
     6  authority [and the Long Island Rail Road] shall also have the  power  to
     7  consider  other  matters necessary to carry out the goals and objectives
     8  of this section.
     9    § 2. The criminal procedure law is amended by  adding  a  new  section
    10  2.40 to read as follows:
    11  § 2.40 Retired police officers aboard MTA transportation services.
    12    Retired  police  officers  who  ride  free  aboard  the transportation
    13  services of the metropolitan transportation authority pursuant to subdi-
    14  vision fourteen of  section  twelve  hundred  sixty-six  of  the  public
    15  authorities  law  shall  be  afforded  all of the powers and protections
    16  afforded peace officers pursuant to the provisions of this article.  The
    17  peace  officer  training  requirements described in section 2.30 of this
    18  article shall be deemed fulfilled by the training  such  retired  police
    19  officers received as part of their law enforcement employment.
    20    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    21  have become a law.