Rita Joseph
0:12:25
I will now read a statement on behalf of counsel member rightly.
0:12:28
Colleagues, as a father, the safety of our children, his home for me.
0:12:32
As I'm sure it does for many of you and our residents, our top priority must always be protecting our youth, which is why I'm urging you to support from my bill resolution 20 250 dash 2024.
0:12:45
This legislation requires that all school buses no matter their size be equipped with stop arms on both sides.
0:12:52
School buses transport millions of students daily and we have a responsibility to ensure that every ride is as safe as possible.
0:13:01
Stop arms are critical safety measure providing a clear signal to drivers that they must stop when children are boarding or disembarking.
0:13:09
This one small step can prevent accidents and save lives.
0:13:13
As a parent, I know the peace of mind that comes from knowing your children are safe, and this bill will help give that assurance to countless New York families.
0:13:22
Requiring functional stop arms on all buses will stand up, stand eyes, safety across the board, and hold operators accountable to the same high standard, ensuring that our scholars travel to and from schools with the utmost protection.
0:13:37
In addition, prohibiting any school bus without working stop arms from being on the road will encourage regular inspection and proper maintenance, so we never have to worry about broken or malfunctioning equipment.
0:13:51
I urge you as both a council member and a father to support resolution 202050 dash 2024 together, we can strengthen the safety of our of our school transportation system and protect our children's safety.
0:14:11
I would like to remind everyone who was just to testify in person today that you must fill out a witness slip, which is located at the desk of the sergeant at arm near the insurance, sergeant at arms near the entrance of this room.
0:14:23
Please fill out the slip even if you've already registered in advance that you will be testifying in person today.
0:14:29
If you wish to testify on introduction 5 15 or resolution 250, please indicate on the witness slip whether you are here to testify in favor or in opposition to the legislation.
0:14:40
I also wanna point out that we will not be voting on any legislation today.
0:14:45
To allow as many people as possible to testify will be limited to 3 minutes per person, whether you testify in person or on Zoom.
0:14:53
I am also going to ask my colleagues to limit their questions and comments to 5 minutes.
0:14:58
Please note that witnesses who are here in person will testify before those who are signed into the Zoom webinar.
0:15:04
I will now turn it over to committee counsel Nadia Jean Francois to administer the oath.
