Republican members of the New York state Senate and Assembly unveiled a proposal Monday that aims to address the state's electric school bus mandate.

The proposed legislation would delay the requirement for school districts to purchase zero-emission school buses by 2027, pushing it to 2045.

It would also include a feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis to determine the potential costs for school districts and taxpayers.

Under the state's 2019 Climate Act, school districts will be prohibited from purchasing additional buses that burn diesel starting in 2027, and all school buses on the road must be zero-emission by 2035.

Lawmakers voiced concerns about the cost of buying electric school buses for all of the districts across the state, which they say would cost about $20 billion.

The Environmental Bond Act, approved in 2022, does include $500 million to help schools transition their bus fleets to zero-emission. 

State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay is calling the mandate uneconomical. 

"If this mandate goes through, the public is going to know about it. Unfortunaltly like a lot of mandates we do here in Albany, this electric school bus mandate is unworkable, unreasonable and it's unattainable," Barclay said.