NY State Senate Bill 2023-S5059

Senate Bill S5059

2023-2024 Legislative Session

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

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to transportation
Feb 22, 2023	referred to transportation

2023-S5059 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2545
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §1263, Pub Auth L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: A9786
2011-2012: A407
2013-2014: A1194
2015-2016: A1824
2017-2018: A459
2019-2020: S7376, A2080
2021-2022: S3837, A202

2023-S5059 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2023-S5059 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5059

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE:

To allow the counties of Dutchess, Putnam, Orange and Rockland to each
have a vote on the MTA Board.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends section 1263 ( I)(a)(1) of the Public Authorities Law
to provide that members of the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and
Rockland shall cast one vote each, rather than one collective vote.

Section 2: Provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Currently, the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland are
granted only partial representation on the MTA Board. This legislation
will increase the voting power, and thus the representation, of the four
Hudson Valley counties, commonly referred to as the "quarter-pounders"
on the MTA Board. Currently, representatives from these four counties
can cast only one collective vote. Instead of one collective vote, this
legislation authorizes these counties one full vote for each county.

These four counties have been with only one collective vote on the MTA
Board since first being granted representation in 1987. Since then, the
population of these counties have exploded and the number of New York
City commuters who have migrated and now reside in the upstate counties
of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland has increased dramatically. In
comparison, the commuter counties of Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk
each have one full vote. The four Hudson Valley counties should have a
greater voice on the MTA Board because of its increase in population of
resident commuters and because of each county's substantial financial
contribution to the MTA.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-22: S.3837 Referred to Transportation/ A.202 Referred to Corpo-
rations, Authorities and Commissions

2019-20: S.7376, Referred to Transportation/ A.2080-A Referred to corpo-
rations, authorities and commissions

2017-18: S.3718 (Larkin), Referred to Transportation/ A.459 Referred to
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, that the amendments to
subparagraph 1 of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 1263 of the
Public Authorities law made by section one of this act shall be subject
to the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section 3
of chapter 549 of the laws of 1994, as amended, when upon such date the
provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.

2023-S5059 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5059
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 22, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 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:
 
   Section 1. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section
 1263 of the public authorities law, as amended by section 1 of part E of
 chapter 39 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   (1)  There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation authori-
 ty."  The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a
 public benefit corporation. The authority shall consist of  a  chairman,
 sixteen  other  voting  members,  and  two non-voting and four alternate
 non-voting members, as described in subparagraph two of  this  paragraph
 appointed  by  the  governor  by  and with the advice and consent of the
 senate. Any member appointed to a term commencing on or after June thir-
 tieth, two thousand nine shall have experience in one  or  more  of  the
 following areas: transportation, public administration, business manage-
 ment,  finance,  accounting,  law,  engineering,  land  use,  urban  and
 regional  planning,  management  of  large   capital   projects,   labor
 relations,  or have experience in some other area of activity central to
 the mission of the authority. Four of the sixteen voting  members  other
 than  the  chairman  shall be appointed on the written recommendation of
 the mayor of the city of New  York;  and  each  of  seven  other  voting
 members  other than the chairman shall be appointed after selection from
 a written list of three recommendations from the chief executive officer
 of the county in which the  particular  member  is  required  to  reside
 pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision. Of the members appointed
 on  recommendation  of the chief executive officer of a county, one such
 member shall be, at the time of appointment, a resident of the county of
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07059-01-3

 S. 5059                             2
 
 Nassau, one a resident of the county of Suffolk, one a resident  of  the
 county  of  Westchester, one a resident of the county of Dutchess, one a
 resident of the county of Orange, one a resident of the county of Putnam
 and  one a resident of the county of Rockland, provided that the term of
 any member who is a resident of a county that  has  withdrawn  from  the
 metropolitan commuter transportation district pursuant to section twelve
 hundred  seventy-nine-b of this title shall terminate upon the effective
 date of such county's withdrawal from such district. Of the five  voting
 members,  other  than  the  chairman,  appointed by the governor without
 recommendation from any other person, three shall be,  at  the  time  of
 appointment,  residents of the city of New York and two shall be, at the
 time of appointment, residents of such city or of any of  the  aforemen-
 tioned  counties  in  the metropolitan commuter transportation district.
 Provided however, notwithstanding the foregoing  residency  requirement,
 one  of the five voting members appointed by the governor without recom-
 mendation from any other person, other than the  chairman,  may  be  the
 director  of  the  New  York  state division of the budget, and provided
 further that, in the event of such appointment,  the  budget  director's
 membership in the authority shall be deemed ex-officio. The chairman and
 each of the members shall be appointed for a term of six years, provided
 however, that the chairman first appointed shall serve for a term ending
 June  thirtieth,  nineteen hundred eighty-one, provided that thirty days
 after the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand nine
 which amended this subparagraph, the term of the chairman shall  expire;
 provided,  further,  that  such  chairman  may continue to discharge the
 duties of his or her office until the position of chairman is filled  by
 appointment  by  the  governor upon the advice and consent of the senate
 and the term of such new chairman shall terminate  June  thirtieth,  two
 thousand  fifteen. The sixteen other members first appointed shall serve
 for the following terms: The members from the  counties  of  Nassau  and
 Westchester  shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen
 hundred eighty-five; the members from the county of Suffolk and from the
 counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall each serve for a
 term ending June thirtieth, nineteen  hundred  ninety-two;  two  of  the
 members appointed on recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York
 shall  each  serve  for  a  term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
 eighty-four and, two shall each serve for a term ending June  thirtieth,
 nineteen  hundred eighty-one; two of the members appointed by the gover-
 nor without the recommendation of any other person shall each serve  for
 a  term  ending  June  thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-two, two shall
 each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty and
 one shall serve for a  term  ending  June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred
 eighty-five.  The  two  non-voting and four alternate non-voting members
 shall serve until January first, two thousand one. [The members from the
 counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall cast one collec-
 tive vote.]
   § 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of  section  1263  of  the  public
 authorities  law, as amended by section 2 of part E of chapter 39 of the
 laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   (a) There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation  authori-
 ty."  The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a
 public benefit corporation. The authority shall consist  of  a  chairman
 and  sixteen  other  members  appointed  by the governor by and with the
 advice and consent of  the  senate.  Any  member  appointed  to  a  term
 commencing  on  or  after  June  thirtieth, two thousand nine shall have
 experience in one or more of the following areas of expertise:    trans-
 S. 5059                             3
 
 portation, public administration, business management, finance, account-
 ing, law, engineering, land use, urban and regional planning, management
 of  large  capital projects, labor relations, or have experience in some
 other  area of activity central to the mission of the authority. Four of
 the sixteen members other than the chairman shall be  appointed  on  the
 written recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York; and each of
 seven  other  members  other  than the chairman shall be appointed after
 selection from a written list of three recommendations  from  the  chief
 executive  officer  of  the  county  in  which  the particular member is
 required to reside pursuant to the provisions of  this  subdivision.  Of
 the  members  appointed on recommendation of the chief executive officer
 of a county, one such member shall be, at the  time  of  appointment,  a
 resident  of  the  county  of  Nassau;  one  a resident of the county of
 Suffolk; one a resident of the county of Westchester; and one a resident
 of the county of Dutchess, one a resident of the county of Orange, one a
 resident of the county of Putnam and one a resident  of  the  county  of
 Rockland,  provided  that  the term of any member who is a resident of a
 county that has withdrawn from the metropolitan commuter  transportation
 district pursuant to section twelve hundred seventy-nine-b of this title
 shall terminate upon the effective date of such county's withdrawal from
 such  district.  Of the five members, other than the chairman, appointed
 by the governor without recommendation  from  any  other  person,  three
 shall  be, at the time of appointment, residents of the city of New York
 and two shall be, at the time of appointment, residents of such city  or
 of  any  of  the  aforementioned  counties  in the metropolitan commuter
 transportation district. Provided however, notwithstanding the foregoing
 residency requirement, one of the five voting members appointed  by  the
 governor  without  recommendation  from any other person, other than the
 chairman, may be the director of the New  York  state  division  of  the
 budget, and provided further that, in the event of such appointment, the
 budget  director's  membership in the authority shall be deemed ex-offi-
 cio. The chairman and each of the members shall be appointed for a  term
 of  six years, provided however, that the chairman first appointed shall
 serve for a term ending June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred  eighty-one,
 provided that thirty days after the effective date of the chapter of the
 laws  of two thousand nine which amended this paragraph, the term of the
 chairman shall expire; provided, further, that such chairman may contin-
 ue to discharge the duties of his office until the position of  chairman
 is  filled by appointment by the governor upon the advice and consent of
 the senate and the term of such new chairman shall terminate June  thir-
 tieth,  two  thousand fifteen. The sixteen other members first appointed
 shall serve for the following terms: The members from  the  counties  of
 Nassau  and  Westchester shall each serve for a term ending June thirti-
 eth, nineteen hundred  eighty-five;  the  members  from  the  county  of
 Suffolk  and  from the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland
 shall each serve for a term  ending  June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred
 ninety-two;  two of the members appointed on recommendation of the mayor
 of the city of New York shall each serve for a term ending June  thirti-
 eth,  nineteen  hundred eighty-four and, two shall each serve for a term
 ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one; two of  the  members
 appointed by the governor without the recommendation of any other person
 shall  each  serve  for  a  term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
 eighty-two, two shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nine-
 teen hundred eighty and one shall serve for a term ending  June  thirti-
 eth,  nineteen  hundred  eighty-five.  [The members from the counties of
 Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall cast one collective vote.]
 S. 5059                             4
 
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that the  amend-
 ments  to  subparagraph  1  of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section
 1263 of the public authorities law made by section one of this act shall
 be subject to the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to
 section 3 of chapter 549 of the laws of 1994, as amended, when upon such
 date the provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.

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