State Senate passes moratorium on booth closings
By a 46-15 margin, the New York State Senate has passed a bill that would place a moratorium on booth closings pending a study on the implications for security against terrorist and criminal activity. The bill also outlines conditions under which trains in passenger service must be fully crewed with both a Train Operator and a Conductor.
This bill, whose lead sponsor is Senate Transportation Committee Chair Martin Dilan, has a counterpart now pending in the Assembly, sponsored by Assembly Member Keith Wright and 16 others. The Assembly version has now had its third reading, a required step before it can be put to a vote.
The passage of this bill by the Senate - which failed to pass a similar bill several years earlier - is an important victory for transit workers and our riders. The Senators who stepped up for safety and security deserve acknowledgement.
The Senate has gotten the ball rolling. To finish the job, the Assembly needs to pass Bill 1483A .