Bill Text: NY S08328 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes a temporary state commission to be known as the commission on public authority reform to study and investigate reducing the number of public authorities and their subsidiaries in New York state; requires reporting; appropriates $100,000 therefor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-01 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S08328 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S08328-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8328 IN SENATE May 1, 2018 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT establishing a temporary state commission to study and investi- gate reducing the number of public authorities and their subsidiaries in the state of New York; making an appropriation therefor; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. A temporary state commission, to be known as the commission 2 on public authority reform, hereafter referred to as the commission, is 3 hereby created to investigate, evaluate and make recommendations 4 concerning the scope and effectiveness involving the elimination, 5 dissolution, consolidation or merger of public authorities and their 6 subsidiaries in the state of New York. 7 § 2. (a) The commission shall consist of thirteen members, to be 8 appointed as follows: three members to be appointed by the governor; 9 three members to be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; 10 three members to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; one member 11 to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; one member to be 12 appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; one member shall be 13 appointed by the comptroller, and one member shall be appointed by the 14 attorney general. The appointees shall have demonstrated expertise in 15 the development and financing of public authorities. The governor shall 16 designate the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the commission. 17 Vacancies in the membership of the commission and among its officers 18 shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments or 19 designations. 20 (b) The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for 21 their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses 22 incurred in the performance of their duties under this act. The commis- 23 sion may employ and at pleasure remove such personnel as it may deem 24 necessary for the performance of its functions and fix their compen- 25 sation within the amounts made available by appropriation therefor. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD15682-01-8S. 8328 2 1 (c) The New York state public authorities control board shall provide 2 the commission such facilities, assistance, and data as will enable the 3 commission to carry out its powers and duties. Additionally, all other 4 departments or agencies of the state or subdivisions thereof shall, at 5 the request of the chairperson, provide the commission such facilities, 6 assistance, and data as will enable the commission to carry out its 7 powers and duties. 8 § 3. Specifically the commission shall investigate at least the 9 following: 10 (a) the opportunities for the elimination, dissolution, consolidation 11 or merger of public authorities and their subsidiaries in the state of 12 New York; and 13 (b) reducing the number of all existing public authorities in the 14 state of New York by fifty percent and reducing the number of all exist- 15 ing subsidiaries in the state of New York by seventy-five percent. 16 § 4. (a) For the accomplishment of its purposes, the commission may 17 meet and hold public and/or private hearings within or without the 18 state, and shall have all the powers of a legislative committee pursuant 19 to the legislative law. The commission is authorized and empowered to 20 undertake any studies, inquiries, surveys or analyses it may deem rele- 21 vant through its own personnel or in cooperation with or by agreement 22 with any other public or private agency. 23 (b) To the maximum extent feasible, the commission may request and 24 shall be entitled to receive and shall utilize and be provided with such 25 facilities, resources and data from any court in the state and from any 26 subdivision, department, board, bureau, commission, office, agency or 27 other instrumentality of the state or of any political subdivision ther- 28 eof as it deems necessary or desirable for the proper execution of its 29 powers and duties and to effectuate the purposes set forth in this act. 30 (c) The commission is hereby authorized and empowered to enter into 31 any agreements and to do and perform any acts that may be necessary, 32 desirable or proper to carry out the purposes and objectives of this 33 act. 34 § 5. The commission shall make recommendations and a report of its 35 findings. The commission shall submit such recommendations and report 36 developed by it relating to issues involving the elimination, dissol- 37 ution, consolidation or merger of public authorities and their subsid- 38 iaries in the state of New York, including any recommendations for 39 legislative action as it may deem necessary and appropriate, to the 40 governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the 41 assembly no later than the thirty-first day of December in the year next 42 succeeding the year in which this act shall have become a law. The 43 commission shall issue a binding recommendation which shall be presented 44 to the legislature to completely accept or reject such recommendation. 45 § 6. The sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), or so much 46 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to pay the expenses 47 incurred, including personal service, in carrying out the provisions of 48 this act. Such moneys shall be payable out of the state treasury in the 49 general fund to the credit of the state purposes account after audit by 50 and on the warrant of the comptroller upon vouchers certified or 51 approved by the chairperson or vice-chairperson of the commission as 52 prescribed by law. 53 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the 54 provisions of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed on the first 55 day next succeeding the date of the submission of the report as required 56 in section five of this act; and provided further, however, that theS. 8328 3 1 chairperson of the temporary commission on public authority reform shall 2 notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the submission of 3 its report as provided for in section five of this act in order that the 4 commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of 5 the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of 6 effecting the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and 7 section 70-b of the public officers law.
