BILL NUMBER: S5020
SPONSOR: SEPULVEDA
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to building condition
survey services
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation would work to ensure the structural soundness of New
York's older school buildings. Increasing the frequency of inspections
in aging school buildings would guarantee that their structural quali-
ties are scrutinized more closely and increase the likelihood of timely
repairs before injuries and other disasters happen.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the education law by adding a new paragraph d to Subdi-
vision 4 of section 3641 to require that building condition surveys of
public schools constructed prior to 1950 must take place every other
year, while visual inspections must occur in any year during which a
building condition survey did not take place.
Section 2 states that this law shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Center for an Urban Future notes that close to one third of public
school buildings in New York City were built before the Great
Depression. This study points out that the average school building in
New York City was built in 1948, even despite recent investments in
modernizing school buildings. Heating and cooling systems are often in
bad repair, in addition to the poor condition of many elevators and
roofs. Dozens of mechanical systems, electrical systems, and building
exteriors are in immediate need of preventative maintenance. Brooklyn's
schools are over seventy years old on average, and have the highest cost
need for repairs. In addition, more than 300 temporary trailers have
been built throughout the city because of problems with individual
school buildings.
These structural problems need to be corrected immediately. If inspec-
tors say that a school is in bad repair, it should be more easily and
promptly repaired. The facilities should also be more regularly
inspected so as to ensure that they may be repaired more frequently and
that the facilities are of a better quality.
 
EXISTING LAW:
Building condition surveys in New York State schools are only required
every five years while visual inspections must take place annually
during the intervening four years.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.4331 of 2023-2024; Referred to Education;
S. 7408 of 2022: Referred to Education;
A. 5943 of 2021: Referred to Education;
A. 2482 of 2019-20: Referred to Education;
A. 10577 of 2018: Referred to Education;
S. 6122 of 2017-19: Referred to Education
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S5020: 3641 education law, 3641(4) education law