A 348: Prohibits drivers of school buses that are carrying students from using hands-free mobile telephones; provides for certain exceptions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 348 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, LUPARDO, SEAWRIGHT, BURDICK, WEPRIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to drivers of school buses that are carrying students using hands-free mobile tele- phones The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 1225-c of the vehicle and traffic 2 law is amended by adding a new paragraph (e) to read as follows: 3 (e) No driver of a school bus as defined in section one hundred 4 forty-two of this chapter shall use a hands-free mobile telephone while 5 operating a school bus that is carrying students except in the case of 6 an emergency pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision three of this 7 section or if the school bus is parked, for purposes other than dropping 8 off or picking up students, at the side of, or off, a public highway in 9 a location where such vehicle is not otherwise prohibited from stopping 10 by law, rule, regulation or any lawful order or direction of a police 11 officer. 12 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 1225-c of the vehicle and traffic law, 13 as added by chapter 69 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as 14 follows: 15 3. Subdivision two of this section shall not apply to (a) the use of a 16 mobile telephone for the sole purpose of communicating with any of the 17 following regarding an emergency situation: an emergency response opera- 18 tor; a hospital, physician's office or health clinic; an ambulance 19 company or corps; a fire department, district or company; or a police 20 department, (b) any of the following persons while in the performance of 21 their official duties: a police officer or peace officer; a member of a 22 fire department, district or company; or the operator of an authorized EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00791-01-5 
 A. 348 2 1 emergency vehicle as defined in section one hundred one of this chapter, 2 or (c) the use of a hands-free mobile telephone, except in the case of a 3 driver operating a school bus pursuant to paragraph (e) of subdivision 4 two of this section. 5 § 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 6 have become a law.