Bill Text: NY S00783 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes the transitional green development program; provides for a two-year grant to be funded through the empire state development corporation not to exceed $150,000.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-01-14 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S00783 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S00783-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 783--A Cal. No. 66 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 9, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Devel- opment and Small Business -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish- ing the transitional green development program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. At a time when munic- 2 ipal budgets are stretched to their limits with regard to traditional 3 expenditures, it is hereby found and declared that there exists within 4 the state the need to augment the capabilities of municipalities to 5 identify and coordinate those qualities that give them unique identi- 6 ties, in order to best exploit those qualities as they transition from 7 the formerly industrial-based economies to those premised on environ- 8 mentally sustainable economic growth. The legislature recognizes that 9 those qualities vary widely from municipality to municipality across the 10 state and include, but are not limited to, cultural, educational, agri- 11 cultural, environmental and infrastructural characteristics that 12 contribute to the municipal and regional identity. It is further found 13 that it is the public policy of the state to provide special assistance 14 to those municipalities that seek to best identify and integrate those 15 capabilities to promote transitional growth and development. 16 § 2. The economic development law is amended by adding a new article 17 23 to read as follows: 18 ARTICLE 23 19 TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 20 Section 450. Definitions. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD05933-03-9S. 783--A 2 1 451. Transitional green development grant program. 2 452. Distribution of grants. 3 453. Green development coordinator. 4 454. Rules and regulations. 5 § 450. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms shall 6 have the following meanings: 7 1. "Applicant" shall mean the county, city, town or village submitting 8 an application for a transitional green development grant. 9 2. "Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of economic development. 10 3. "Transitional green development" shall mean utilizing all elements 11 of a municipality's current cultural, educational, environmental and 12 infrastructural character and coordinating those attributes with 13 vestiges of its industrial past to achieve sustainable green develop- 14 ment. 15 4. "Transitional green development coordinator" shall mean an individ- 16 ual designated by the executive of the municipality to identify stake- 17 holders and community resources, and direct, coordinate and develop a 18 plan for transitional green development. Such individual shall be a 19 resident of the county in which the municipality is located or in a 20 county within the state contiguous to the county in which the munici- 21 pality that is receiving the transitional green development grant and 22 have a background in urban or regional or rural planning and develop- 23 ment. 24 5. "Transitional green development grant" shall mean a two-year grant 25 to the applicant, funded through the empire state development corpo- 26 ration, dedicated to the specific task of bringing together local offi- 27 cials, business leaders, educational institutions and a wide range of 28 community partners in a collaborative effort to identify the munici- 29 pality's unique qualities, and design innovative strategies to best 30 exploit those identified characteristics for sustainable green develop- 31 ment. Such grant shall not exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars. 32 6. "Transitional green development plan" shall be the product of 33 consultation with elected and appointed officials, business leaders, and 34 residents of the community, the active search and invitation of ideas, 35 coordination and contemporary, historical and academic research. 36 § 451. Transitional green development grant program. There is hereby 37 established within the department of economic development a transitional 38 green development grant program for the purpose of administering grants 39 to municipalities to assist in their transition from industrial to post- 40 industrial, environmentally sustainable economies. 41 § 452. Distribution of grants. Within the amounts appropriated and 42 available therefor, the commissioner may award a transitional green 43 development grant to local governments for the planning, design, devel- 44 opment and programming of transitional green development. Such grants to 45 municipalities may be used for: 46 1. the hiring of a transitional green development coordinator; 47 2. the use and maintenance of office space and meeting venues; 48 3. the reasonable travel expenses of development professionals from 49 educational and research institutions within the state of New York; and 50 4. the purchase of supplies necessary for the production of the tran- 51 sitional green development plan. 52 § 453. Green development coordinator. The transitional green develop- 53 ment coordinator shall: 54 1. be a part-time position under the direction of the executive for a 55 period not to exceed twenty-four months;S. 783--A 3 1 2. be subject to all the rights, duties and obligations of article 2 four of the public officers law; and 3 3. receive compensation not to exceed thirty thousand dollars, or 4 twenty-five percent of the full amount of the transitional green devel- 5 opment grant, whichever is less, fifty percent of which shall be 6 disbursed during each year of the two-year period of the grant. 7 The transitional green development coordinator shall direct the 8 production of the transitional green development plan, during the first 9 year of the grant period, which shall be presented in final draft to the 10 executive and the legislative body of the municipality within twelve 11 months of the acceptance by the commissioner of the grant application. 12 Such plan shall identify the general and unique characteristics and 13 resources of the municipality and make recommendations on how to inte- 14 grate those characteristics in coordinated green development strategy. 15 The transitional green development coordinator shall oversee the initial 16 implementation of the transitional green development plan during the 17 second year of the grant period. Nothing in this provision shall prohib- 18 it the executive and legislature from continuing the position of the 19 transitional green development coordinator, by contract or direct 20 employment through municipal funds, subsequent to the expiration of the 21 transitional green development grant. 22 § 454. Rules and regulations. The commissioner shall promulgate rules 23 and regulations for the implementation of the transitional green devel- 24 opment grant program and, to the extent practicable, provide technical 25 assistance in all areas to the transitional green development coordina- 26 tor, the executive and legislative bodies of the grant recipient in the 27 development and implementation of the transitional green development 28 plan. 29 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
