NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7794

Senate Bill S7794

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to contracts to provide food services at transportation facilities and rest areas owned and operated by certain public authorities

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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to transportation
Dec 08, 2023	referred to rules

2023-S7794 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8336
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:: Add §390, Pub Auth L; amd Art 4, §1 of Chap 154 of 1921

2023-S7794 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that food services at transportation facilities and rest areas owned and operated by certain public authorities remain open seven days a week.

2023-S7794 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7794

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public authorities law and chapter 154 of the laws
of 1921, relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in
relation to contracts to provide food services at authority owned and
operated transportation facilities and rest areas

 
PURPOSE:

To ensure that New York State's transportation facilities offer a reli-
able source of food services.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the public authorities law by adding a new section 390
that requires any contracts entered into by the New York State Thruway
Authority for the operation of food services at public transportation
facilities shall require that services be provided every day of the
week.

Section 2 amends section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 and adds a
new subparagraph 7 establishing a policy that contracts for the opera-
tion of food services at Port Authority owned transportation facilities
shall be required that services be provided every day of the week.

Section 3 establishes the effective date of the bill.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The New York State Thruway Authority's Service Area Redesign and Rede-
velopment Project is currently rebuilding the 27 service areas along the
Thruway through a public-private partnership. The travelling public and
commercial trucking industry rely on these service areas to rest, refuel
and to purchase food and beverages. In 2021, the Thruway Authority
engaged Applegreen, an Irish convenience store chain, to take over the
leases of all service areas.

Applegreen's portfolio of companies include Chick-fil-A, which by compa-
ny policy is closed on Sundays, and which has already opened at seven
service areas. While there is nothing objectionable about a fast food
restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedi-
cated to travelers is an inappropriate location for such a restaurant.
Publicly owned service areas should use their space to maximally benefit
the public. Allowing for retail space to go unused one seventh of the
week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers
who rely on these service areas.

This legislation will ensure that all future contracts for food conces-
sions at transportation facilities owned by the Thruway Authority, as
well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, will be required
to operate seven days a week, with an exclusion to temporary concessions
such as farmers markets or local vendors.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it becomes law.
However, section 2 of this act shall only take effect upon the State of
New Jersey passing an act with an identical effect.

2023-S7794 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7794
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             December 8, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the public authorities law and chapter 154 of  the  laws
   of 1921, relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in
   relation  to contracts to provide food services at authority owned and
   operated transportation facilities and rest areas
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public  authorities  law  is amended by adding a new
 section 390 to read as follows:
   § 390. CONTRACTS FOR FOOD SERVICE.  ANY CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO FOR THE
 OPERATION OF FOOD SERVICES OR FOOD CONCESSIONS AT PUBLIC  TRANSPORTATION
 FACILITIES  OWNED  OR  OPERATED BY THE AUTHORITY SHALL REQUIRE THAT SUCH
 SERVICES BE PROVIDED EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS
 SECTION  THE  TERM  "PUBLIC  TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES"  SHALL MEAN AND
 INCLUDE THRUWAY REST AREAS, SERVICE AREAS  AND  WELCOME  CENTERS.    THE
 PROVISIONS  OF  THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS OR
 EVENTS INCLUDING FARMERS'  MARKETS,  FLEA  MARKETS  OR    LOCAL  VENDORS
 LICENSED OR PERMITTED TO OPERATE BY THE AUTHORITY.
   §  2.  Subparagraph 6 of paragraph f of subdivision 3 of article IV of
 section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws  of  1921,  relating  to  the  port
 authority  of  New York and New Jersey, as amended by chapter 495 of the
 laws of 2023, is amended and a new subparagraph 7 is added  to  read  as
 follows:
   (6)  PROVIDE  information  concerning  services  for human trafficking
 victims in port authority bus terminals. 1. Any bus terminal  maintained
 or operated by the port authority shall make available in plain view and
 in  a  conspicuous  place  and manner in the public restrooms and in any
 lactation rooms, informational cards and/or signs developed by:
   (a) the office of temporary and disability assistance in  consultation
 with the New York state interagency task force on human trafficking; or
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13234-02-3

 S. 7794                             2
 
   (b) the United States Department of Homeland Security.
   2. All informational cards and signs shall  only  contain  information
 concerning  services for human trafficking victims and shall prominently
 include the national human trafficking hotline telephone number.
   3. For purposes of this section, "lactation room" shall mean a hygien-
 ic place, other than a restroom, that: (a) is shielded from view; (b) is
 free  from  intrusion;  (c) contains a chair, a working surface, and, if
 the building is otherwise   supplied  with  electricity,  an  electrical
 outlet;  and  (d)  is  intended  to  be  used for the primary purpose of
 breastfeeding or expressing breast milk[.]; AND
   (7) ESTABLISH A POLICY  THAT  CONTRACTS  FOR  THE  OPERATION  OF  FOOD
 SERVICES  OR FOOD CONCESSIONS AT TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES OWNED BY SUCH
 AUTHORITY SHALL REQUIRE THAT SUCH SERVICES BE PROVIDED EVERY DAY OF  THE
 WEEK.  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION THE TERM "TRANSPORTATION FACILI-
 TIES" SHALL MEAN AND INCLUDE BUS STATIONS, TRAIN  STATIONS,  REST  AREAS
 AND  MARINE  TERMINAL FACILITIES.   THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL
 NOT APPLY TO TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS OR EVENTS INCLUDING FARMERS' MARKETS,
 FLEA MARKETS OR  LOCAL VENDORS LICENSED OR PERMITTED TO OPERATE  BY  THE
 AUTHORITY.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
 have become a law and shall apply to contracts entered into on and after
 such date; provided, however that section two of this act  shall    take
 effect  upon    the   enactment   into law by the state of New Jersey of
 legislation having an identical effect with this act, but if  the  state
 of  New Jersey shall have already enacted such legislation, such section
 shall take  effect immediately;  provided  that   the   chairman of  the
 port  authority of New Jersey shall notify the legislative bill drafting
 commission  upon  the  occurrence  of  the enactment of the  legislation
 provided for in section two of this act in order that the commission may
 maintain   an  accurate and  timely  effective  database of the official
 text of the laws of the state of New York in  furtherance  of effectuat-
 ing  the  provisions  of section  44  of the legislative law and section
 70-b of the public officers law.

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