Rivera Calls for Elimination of School Bus Diesel Fuel Tax and for an Emergency 4-Day School Week Plan

• by Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera

ALBANY, NY (06/19/2008)(readMedia)-- Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, chairman of the Assembly committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities is once again calling for legislative action on legislation he introduced in 2006 that will temporarily remove the diesel fuel tax paid by school bus operators contracted by many of the 700 school districts across New York.

Presently school bus operators pay as much as 85 cents per gallon on diesel fuel in local, state and federal taxes. Almost 70% of that amount is local and state taxes.

Rivera has also amended the legislation (A.6741/S.535) to require that all school districts have in place a plan for a four-day school week that will help school districts save hundreds of millions of dollars in school heating, electricity and pupil transportation costs. School districts must have the plans in place and submitted to the commissioner of the State Education Department by the end of August of 2008.

According to Rivera, "By having plans in place for an extended school day but only a four-day school week, school districts will automatically save 20% in pupil transportation costs. We are talking about tens of millions of dollars in savings for each school district in New York."

"There is and will be increasing collateral damage to our schools and to homeowners without state action," he said. With a barrel of oil nearing the $135.00 mark and diesel fuel heading towards $6.00 per gallon, our economy and taxpayers are suffering the impact and school districts with their tight budgets are not in a position to handle this growing problem," stated Rivera.

Rivera added, "I have no doubt school taxes bills will shock property owners across the state next year if immediate action is not taken. It is time we began to plan accordingly to do what is possible on our parts to spare New Yorkers the pain of a worsening energy crisis that will devastate our economy if we continue to do nothing."

There are over 55, 000 diesel powered school buses serving over 2 million children in 700 school districts across New York State. These buses travel millions of miles per year. "Increases in these diesel fuel costs will no doubt have heavy negative impact school districts' budgets and this is a situation that needs immediate action because it is an immediate problem," Rivera added.

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