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Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie appointed me Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee earlier this year. This Committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing legislation and overseeing the State’s management of all types of transportation systems within the State. As Chair, I am interested in developing and reviewing legislation covering a wide range of topics affecting the movement of people and goods throughout the State.

The committee’s jurisdiction includes oversight and analysis of the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Motor Vehicles (DMV), the Thruway Authority and various regional transportation authorities (such as CENTRO here in Central New York) and commissions. It is an extremely active committee; during the 2017-2018 term there were 773 bills referred to the committee.

The Transportation Committee oversees:

More than 19,000 bridges
More than 114,000 miles of highways
More than 130 billion vehicle miles driven annually
More than 450 public and private aviation facilities
More than 1.8 million riders on railways
Over 130 public transit operators
More than 2.8 billion transit passengers annually

Also, my legislation allowing for Stop-Arm Cameras on School Buses is one of the many bills I expect to soon be reviewed by the committee. This is a very important piece of legislation concerning the safety of our children. Routinely, drivers ignore the stop sign on school bus arms and pass the bus as children are boarding or exiting. Drivers currently cannot be ticketed unless the violation is witnessed by an officer. Having the cameras on the stop-arm would allow officers to witness the violation and, through this legislation, issue penalties.

Among other issues that are expected to be presented to the committee for consideration is legislation addressing limousine safety, additional traffic enforcement cameras, infrastructure and public transit funding and the legality of e-bikes or e-scooters. The committee hears from advocates on both sides of issues and compiles research on legislation before a bill moves on in the legislative process.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office at (315) 428-9651 or at magnarw@nyassembly.gov.

Assembly Transportation Committee Chair

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