Bill Text: NY A02545 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Grants each of the representatives of the counties of Dutchess, Putnam, Orange and Rockland a vote during the proceedings of the metropolitan transportation authority.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A02545 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A02545-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2545

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 26, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. GUNTHER, ZEBROWSKI, BARRETT, WALKER -- read once
          and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commis-
          sions

        AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to granting each
          of the representatives of the counties of Dutchess, Putnam, Orange and
          Rockland on the metropolitan transportation authority a vote

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section
     2  1263 of the public authorities law, as amended by section 1 of part E of
     3  chapter 39 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (1)  There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation authori-
     5  ty."  The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a
     6  public benefit corporation. The authority shall consist of  a  chairman,
     7  sixteen  other  voting  members,  and  two non-voting and four alternate
     8  non-voting members, as described in subparagraph two of  this  paragraph
     9  appointed  by  the  governor  by  and with the advice and consent of the
    10  senate. Any member appointed to a term commencing on or after June thir-
    11  tieth, two thousand nine shall have experience in one  or  more  of  the
    12  following areas: transportation, public administration, business manage-
    13  ment,  finance,  accounting,  law,  engineering,  land  use,  urban  and
    14  regional  planning,  management  of  large   capital   projects,   labor
    15  relations,  or have experience in some other area of activity central to
    16  the mission of the authority. Four of the sixteen voting  members  other
    17  than  the  chairman  shall be appointed on the written recommendation of
    18  the mayor of the city of New  York;  and  each  of  seven  other  voting
    19  members  other than the chairman shall be appointed after selection from
    20  a written list of three recommendations from the chief executive officer
    21  of the county in which the  particular  member  is  required  to  reside
    22  pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision. Of the members appointed
    23  on  recommendation  of the chief executive officer of a county, one such

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07059-01-3
        A. 2545                             2

     1  member shall be, at the time of appointment, a resident of the county of
     2  Nassau, one a resident of the county of Suffolk, one a resident  of  the
     3  county  of  Westchester, one a resident of the county of Dutchess, one a
     4  resident of the county of Orange, one a resident of the county of Putnam
     5  and  one a resident of the county of Rockland, provided that the term of
     6  any member who is a resident of a county that  has  withdrawn  from  the
     7  metropolitan commuter transportation district pursuant to section twelve
     8  hundred  seventy-nine-b of this title shall terminate upon the effective
     9  date of such county's withdrawal from such district. Of the five  voting
    10  members,  other  than  the  chairman,  appointed by the governor without
    11  recommendation from any other person, three shall be,  at  the  time  of
    12  appointment,  residents of the city of New York and two shall be, at the
    13  time of appointment, residents of such city or of any of  the  aforemen-
    14  tioned  counties  in  the metropolitan commuter transportation district.
    15  Provided however, notwithstanding the foregoing  residency  requirement,
    16  one  of the five voting members appointed by the governor without recom-
    17  mendation from any other person, other than the  chairman,  may  be  the
    18  director  of  the  New  York  state division of the budget, and provided
    19  further that, in the event of such appointment,  the  budget  director's
    20  membership in the authority shall be deemed ex-officio. The chairman and
    21  each of the members shall be appointed for a term of six years, provided
    22  however, that the chairman first appointed shall serve for a term ending
    23  June  thirtieth,  nineteen hundred eighty-one, provided that thirty days
    24  after the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand nine
    25  which amended this subparagraph, the term of the chairman shall  expire;
    26  provided,  further,  that  such  chairman  may continue to discharge the
    27  duties of his or her office until the position of chairman is filled  by
    28  appointment  by  the  governor upon the advice and consent of the senate
    29  and the term of such new chairman shall terminate  June  thirtieth,  two
    30  thousand  fifteen. The sixteen other members first appointed shall serve
    31  for the following terms: The members from the  counties  of  Nassau  and
    32  Westchester  shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen
    33  hundred eighty-five; the members from the county of Suffolk and from the
    34  counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall each serve for a
    35  term ending June thirtieth, nineteen  hundred  ninety-two;  two  of  the
    36  members appointed on recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York
    37  shall  each  serve  for  a  term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
    38  eighty-four and, two shall each serve for a term ending June  thirtieth,
    39  nineteen  hundred eighty-one; two of the members appointed by the gover-
    40  nor without the recommendation of any other person shall each serve  for
    41  a  term  ending  June  thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-two, two shall
    42  each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty and
    43  one shall serve for a  term  ending  June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred
    44  eighty-five.  The  two  non-voting and four alternate non-voting members
    45  shall serve until January first, two thousand one. [The members from the
    46  counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall cast one collec-
    47  tive vote.]
    48    § 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of  section  1263  of  the  public
    49  authorities  law, as amended by section 2 of part E of chapter 39 of the
    50  laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
    51    (a) There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation  authori-
    52  ty."  The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a
    53  public benefit corporation. The authority shall consist  of  a  chairman
    54  and  sixteen  other  members  appointed  by the governor by and with the
    55  advice and consent of  the  senate.  Any  member  appointed  to  a  term
    56  commencing  on  or  after  June  thirtieth, two thousand nine shall have
        A. 2545                             3

     1  experience in one or more of the following areas of expertise:    trans-
     2  portation, public administration, business management, finance, account-
     3  ing, law, engineering, land use, urban and regional planning, management
     4  of  large  capital projects, labor relations, or have experience in some
     5  other area of activity central to the mission of the authority. Four  of
     6  the  sixteen  members  other than the chairman shall be appointed on the
     7  written recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York; and each of
     8  seven other members other than the chairman  shall  be  appointed  after
     9  selection  from  a  written list of three recommendations from the chief
    10  executive officer of the  county  in  which  the  particular  member  is
    11  required  to  reside  pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision. Of
    12  the members appointed on recommendation of the chief  executive  officer
    13  of  a  county,  one  such member shall be, at the time of appointment, a
    14  resident of the county of Nassau;  one  a  resident  of  the  county  of
    15  Suffolk; one a resident of the county of Westchester; and one a resident
    16  of the county of Dutchess, one a resident of the county of Orange, one a
    17  resident  of  the  county  of Putnam and one a resident of the county of
    18  Rockland, provided that the term of any member who is a  resident  of  a
    19  county  that has withdrawn from the metropolitan commuter transportation
    20  district pursuant to section twelve hundred seventy-nine-b of this title
    21  shall terminate upon the effective date of such county's withdrawal from
    22  such district. Of the five members, other than the  chairman,  appointed
    23  by  the  governor  without  recommendation  from any other person, three
    24  shall be, at the time of appointment, residents of the city of New  York
    25  and  two shall be, at the time of appointment, residents of such city or
    26  of any of the  aforementioned  counties  in  the  metropolitan  commuter
    27  transportation district. Provided however, notwithstanding the foregoing
    28  residency  requirement,  one of the five voting members appointed by the
    29  governor without recommendation from any other person,  other  than  the
    30  chairman,  may  be  the  director  of the New York state division of the
    31  budget, and provided further that, in the event of such appointment, the
    32  budget director's membership in the authority shall be  deemed  ex-offi-
    33  cio.  The chairman and each of the members shall be appointed for a term
    34  of six years, provided however, that the chairman first appointed  shall
    35  serve  for  a  term  ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one,
    36  provided that thirty days after the effective date of the chapter of the
    37  laws of two thousand nine which amended this paragraph, the term of  the
    38  chairman shall expire; provided, further, that such chairman may contin-
    39  ue  to discharge the duties of his office until the position of chairman
    40  is filled by appointment by the governor upon the advice and consent  of
    41  the  senate and the term of such new chairman shall terminate June thir-
    42  tieth, two thousand fifteen. The sixteen other members  first  appointed
    43  shall  serve  for  the following terms: The members from the counties of
    44  Nassau and Westchester shall each serve for a term ending  June  thirti-
    45  eth,  nineteen  hundred  eighty-five;  the  members  from  the county of
    46  Suffolk and from the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam  and  Rockland
    47  shall  each  serve  for  a  term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
    48  ninety-two; two of the members appointed on recommendation of the  mayor
    49  of  the city of New York shall each serve for a term ending June thirti-
    50  eth, nineteen hundred eighty-four and, two shall each serve for  a  term
    51  ending  June  thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one; two of the members
    52  appointed by the governor without the recommendation of any other person
    53  shall each serve for a term  ending  June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred
    54  eighty-two, two shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nine-
    55  teen  hundred  eighty and one shall serve for a term ending June thirti-
        A. 2545                             4

     1  eth, nineteen hundred eighty-five. [The members  from  the  counties  of
     2  Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall cast one collective vote.]
     3    §  3. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that the amend-
     4  ments to subparagraph 1 of paragraph (a) of  subdivision  1  of  section
     5  1263 of the public authorities law made by section one of this act shall
     6  be subject to the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to
     7  section 3 of chapter 549 of the laws of 1994, as amended, when upon such
     8  date the provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.