Relates to the availability and purchase of zero-emission school buses

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Republican39

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Thomas F. O'Mara says this is needed

The zero-emission school bus mandate that was implemented in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Enacted Budget has placed an onerous mandate on school districts which must be adopted on an aggressive timeline. It is still to be determined if the mandate is feasible according to the established timeline, especially for upstate and rural school districts which face vastly different constraints from their downstate peers. Further, school districts should not have to navigate the complexities, or face the significant expenses, of converting their bus fleets until all state agencies fully transitioned their medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles. The current zero-emission school bus mandate also overlooks or neglects to impose restrictions on the incorporation of components or parts used in the production of zero-emission buses and their associated infras- tructure, some of which may be derived from sources and methods antith- etical to the values of New Yorkers, such as foreign mining operations with hazardous working conditions including child labor. It also does not require the state to work with school districts to develop detailed cost-benefit analyses that examine the costs of transitioning their fleets, nor does it direct the state to transmit safety. procedures related to lithium or hydrogen-based battery fires that will undoubtedly become more prevalent as a result of this mandate. This legislation attempts to remedy these issues by instituting common sense reforms to the mandate that will provide school districts with the flexibility and guidance they need to adapt to these new requirements.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.