“…the ‘mother’ of all unfunded mandates”
Column/Op-Ed by Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning)
As legislators, two of our top priorities should be protecting our children and being fiscally responsible with the public’s money. Unfortunately, Albany Democrats have ignored both by forcing local school districts to have fleets of electric school buses by 2035. Many of these school districts, especially the rural ones, simply do not have the infrastructure and cannot afford to implement this expensive mandate.
The electric school bus mandate is the ‘mother’ of all unfunded mandates. Gov. Hochul and the Assembly and Senate Democrat Majorities have forced upon local school districts a politically driven and costly mandate that has not proven to be reliable, feasible or safe, especially for our more rural school districts in upstate. This mandate was passed without any cost, feasibility or safety analysis. Simply put, our local school districts and property taxpayers cannot afford to buy these unreliable buses. The fact is that the cost of this mandate on local school districts across the state is between $8 billion and $15.25 billion. Vehicle purchases, charging and facility infrastructure and, in many instances, costly electric grid improvements will be required. I have heard from many local school superintendents who have expressed their strong concerns with this mandate.
We need to pump the brakes on the electric school bus mandate now. If we do not reform this now by letting individual districts opt out of the current mandate until we have more information, the benefit of experience and more efficient and less expensive technology, we are putting our schools, students and their families at serious risk and we will be breaking the backs of local property taxpayers across this state at the worst possible time.
If that wasn’t bad enough, our local schools are being treated as guinea pigs for this social experiment, all part of a radical climate/energy agenda being pushed by the governor and Democrats in Albany. How so you may be asking, well, the state is hypocritically asking our school districts to begin purchasing electric school buses in 2027 and converting their entire fleets by 2035, a whole five years before the state of New York has to convert its fleet in 2040. In addition, the state of New York can stop, delay or pause if it is not feasible to move forward. Our school districts do not have the same luxury. That is why I have introduced legislation that would delay the implementation of the electric school bus mandate until 2045 or until the state converts its entire fleet first. Let New York do it first.
Gov. Hochul and Democrats’ costly and unreliable electric school bus mandate is hypocritical, makes no sense and is completely out of touch with the concerns and challenges facing our local communities. Our duty in government is to look out for the people and communities we represent. How is it fair that schools must convert their entire fleets a full five years before the state of New York and be forced to spend tens of billions of dollars to convert to this costly and still unproven technology? The answer is simply that it isn’t.
What is fair? If a school district wants to purchase electric school buses, they have the option to purchase an electric school bus. What is fair? How about giving local school districts the option to opt out of this costly mandate? What is fair? How about requiring the state of New York to show this can be done and force them to lead and for the state to be required to convert its entire fleet before school districts are required to purchase one school bus and convert their fleets? What is fair? Before moving forward with this unproven and costly technology, require the state to conduct a cost, feasibility and safety analysis? What is fair? To require all-electric school buses to be made from parts made in the USA, instead of using parts made from minerals, like cobalt, that have been extracted using child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What is fair? Pump, no, slam the brakes on the electric school bus mandate. What is fair? For the state of New York to do it first.

Assemblyman Palmesano represents the 132nd District, which includes Schuyler County, Yates County and Parts of Chemung County, Seneca County and Steuben County. For more information about Assemblyman Palmesano, Please follow him on Facebook.