City Bypasses State, Passing Its Own School Speed Camera Law

The New York City Council held an emergency session Wednesday to pass a school speed camera bill. The bill, which passed 41 to 3, allows the city to turn the existing cameras back on, doubles the number of cameras and extends their hours of operation.

A state law that governed the camera program expired last month, and a bill that passed the Assembly, which is similar to the council's bill, never came up for a vote in the Senate.

On Monday, Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency, which allowed the city to access DMV records, something the previous law allowed for — but in order for the new bill to function, Cuomo will have to renew his order every 30 days.