S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3428
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
February 6, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sen. SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to establish a commission to be known as the "New York State
Temporary Commission on the Threat of Rising Oceans"
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. There is hereby established a temporary commission to be
known as the "New York State Temporary Commission on the Threat of
Rising Oceans", hereinafter referred to in this act as the "commission".
§ 2. 1. The commission shall:
(a) be composed of 17 members appointed in accordance with subdivision
two of this section; and
(b) conduct its business in accordance with the provisions of this
section.
2. The members shall be appointed for the life of the commission as
follows:
(a) 3 shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
(b) 1 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
(c) 3 shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly of which one
shall be a representative of the Mayor of New York City;
(d) 1 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; and
(e) 9 shall be appointed by the governor.
3. The members of the commission shall be individuals who have know-
ledge or expertise, whether by experience or training, in matters to be
studied by the commission under subdivision seven of this section. The
members may be from the public sector, who may include federal, state,
or local officers or employees, members of academia, nonprofit organiza-
tions, or other interested individuals or the private sector. The
members shall include at least 5 representatives from the city of New
York.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09717-01-9
S. 3428 2
4. The temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the
senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the assembly
and the governor shall make his or her respective appointments not later
than 30 days after the effective date of this act. Any vacancy that
occurs during the life of the commission shall not affect the powers of
the commission and shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment not later than 30 days after the vacancy occurs.
5. The initial meeting of the commission shall be conducted not later
than 30 days after the appointment of the last member of the commission.
The first act of the commission shall be to select by consensus a chair-
person.
6. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum to conduct
business, but the commission may establish a lesser quorum for conduct-
ing hearings scheduled by the commission. Each member shall have 1 vote
and the vote of each member shall be accorded the same weight. The
commission may establish, by majority vote, any other rules for the
conduct of the commission's business, insofar as such rules are not
inconsistent with this section or other applicable law.
7. The commission shall conduct a comprehensive study on the threat of
rising ocean levels.
(a) The matters studied by the commission under this subdivision shall
include, but not be limited to:
(1) the threat of rising oceans on shoreline communities, their
infrastructure, and residents;
(2) options available to protect New York City and Long Island from
rising oceans and provide a cost estimate for such options;
(3) options available to protect New York Harbor from rising oceans,
including, but not limited to, the building of a sea wall and its asso-
ciated costs;
(4) international infrastructure in place to protect other regions
from rising oceans and provide a comparative description of what other
nations have done to address that threat in those regions and at what
costs;
(5) a review of the federal flood insurance program and provide recom-
mendations on how New York State can supplement the program or create a
state flood insurance program to address the looming threat of damage to
waterfront communities;
(6) a review of the current flood zone designations of shoreline and
waterfront communities and recommend changes to such designations; and
(7) a potential public awareness campaign and associated funding
requirement for such outreach to inform residents of impacted communi-
ties and those in projected flood zones on how to prepare for pending
damage by rising oceans.
(b) Not later than March 1, 2020, the commission shall submit to the
governor, the senate, and the assembly a comprehensive report on the
commission's findings and conclusions. Such report shall address each
matter studied by the commission.
8. The commission shall have the power to hold hearings, at such sites
and to act at such times and places, to take such testimony, and to
receive such evidence as the commission considers advisable to carrying
out its duties under this subdivision.
9. The members of the commission shall not be given any form of
compensation and shall be allowed no travel expenses while away from
their homes or regular places of business in the performance of service
for the commission.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.