Bill
A 11080
Expands a local demonstration program using school bus photo enforcement to hold vehicle owners liable for stop-arm violations, with governance, boundaries, and reporting rules.
Date Introduced: April 24, 2026
Committee: Transportation
Sponsor: Assembly Member Burroughs (co-sponsor: Noah Burroughs)
Purpose
- This bill expands and formalizes a demonstration program that imposes monetary liability on the owner of a vehicle for failures of an operator to stop for a school bus, using school bus photo violation monitoring systems. It sets framework for installation, operation, oversight, and reporting of such systems within participating localities and school districts.
Key Provisions
1) Authorization and scope of demonstration programs (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1174-a, paras. 1 and 1-a)
- Localities (counties, cities, towns, villages) within a school district may adopt local laws or ordinances to:
- Establish a demonstration program imposing liability on vehicle owners when an operator fails to stop for a school bus that is marked and equipped per state law.
- Allow school bus photo violation monitoring systems (stationary or mobile) to be installed and operated, under agreements with school districts.
- Systems may be installed on buses owned by the district or buses privately operated under contract with the district.
- Rules:
- Stationary systems may only be on roadways under the jurisdiction of the local government.
- Mobile systems must be operated within the boundaries of participating school districts and require an agreement with the district.
- The local government must maintain and transmit a list of participating districts and boundaries to any third-party vendors; vendors must disable mobile systems outside geographic boundaries.
- Law enforcement remains able to enforce section 1174, not limited by these provisions.
2) Limitations on liability notices (New § 1174-a(g)(5))
- No notice of liability may be mailed to an owner for violations that occur within a district that has not passed a resolution authorizing the use of school bus photo violation monitoring systems, or for violations occurring before such resolution and any related agreement is in place.
3) Reporting and governance requirements (New § 1174-a(m) and § 1174-a(n))
- Annual reporting obligation for counties, cities, towns, or villages that adopt the demonstration program:
- Submit to the Governor, Temporary President of the Senate, and Speaker of the Assembly by June 1 of the year of operation, and annually thereafter.
- Reports must be publicly available and include:
- Buses used and routes with stationary/mobile systems.
- Aggregate accident data at locations with systems (pre- and post-installation, as available).
- Number of violations recorded at each location (daily/weekly/monthly).
- Convictions for violations (annual, by location).
- Totals for notices of liability, fines assessed and paid (post-initial notice), adjudications and dispositions, and related court data (hearings scheduled, held, default judgments, etc.).
- Revenue from adjudications and program expenses.
- Adjudication process quality metrics (hearings, rescheduling, payment timings, etc.).
- Public education efforts warning about dangers of passing stopped school buses.
- Contractual and approval requirements:
- Any agreement to use these systems requires approval by a majority vote of the governing body of each participating locality and district resolutions under relevant education law sections.
- If a district enters into an agreement with one county, other cities/towns/villages within the same county may be excluded from entering separate agreements with that district, and no county may enter an agreement with a city school district wholly contained within the city.
- Districts may withdraw from an agreement.
4) Effective date
- The act takes effect immediately, but amendments to §1174-a adopted by sections 1–3 are subject to repeal as part of the broader repeal of that section.
Who is Affected
- Local governments within school districts (counties, cities, towns, and villages) may create and operate demonstration programs.
- School districts that participate or enter agreements for photo violation monitoring systems.
- Vehicle owners and operators in participating districts (liability for failure to stop for stopped school buses).
- Third-party vendors operating school bus photo violation monitoring systems (subject to geographic boundary restrictions and data handling provisions).
- Courts and administrative agencies involved in adjudications of violations.
Impact Outline
- Creates a framework for deploying school bus stop-arm photo enforcement, with measurable reporting, oversight, and transparency.
- Establishes geographic and contractual boundaries to limit system operation to participating districts.
- Requires district resolutions and governing body approvals before use.
- Provides defenses if stop-arm systems are not authorized or if a district has not adopted a resolution.
Note
- The bill references ongoing or related provisions from prior law (e.g., section 3/375 of the vehicle code and section 22 of a 2019 law), and preserves law enforcement authority to enforce related violations outside the new demonstration framework.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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