S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
815
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 6, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to transporta-
tion authorities
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 18 of section 1299-a of the public authorities
law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the public
authorities law relating to various transportation authorities, as
proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C, is
amended to read as follows:
18. "Transit dependent INDIVIDUAL" shall mean an individual who is
limited to public transit as their primary mode of transportation
because the individual has [either] a permanent [or temporary] disabili-
ty.
§ 2. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 1299-c of the public
authorities law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending
the public authorities law relating to various transportation authori-
ties, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C,
is amended to read as follows:
(c) The transit dependent individual appointed pursuant to [subdivi-
sion (a) of this section] PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION shall be
appointed by the governor [at the recommendation of a local or statewide
transit advocacy organization]. Such member shall be a resident of a
county described in paragraph (a) of this subdivision. If a vacancy
shall occur, a replacement shall be appointed within six months, subject
to the same appointment process set forth in this paragraph. ANY LOCAL
OR STATEWIDE TRANSIT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION MAY RECOMMEND ONE OR MORE
TRANSIT DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR APPOINTMENT PURSUANT
TO THIS SECTION.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03967-01-3
S. 815 2
§ 3. Subdivision 25 of section 1299-bb of the public authorities law,
as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the public authori-
ties law relating to various transportation authorities, as proposed in
legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C, is amended to read as
follows:
25. "Transit dependent INDIVIDUAL" shall mean an individual who is
limited to public transit as their primary mode of transportation
because the individual has [either] a permanent [or temporary] disabili-
ty.
§ 4. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subdivision 1 of section 1299-dd of the
public authorities law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022
amending the public authorities law relating to various transportation
authorities, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A.
7822-C, are amended to read as follows:
(a) There is hereby created the Rochester-Genesee regional transporta-
tion authority. The authority shall be a body corporate and politic
constituting a public benefit corporation. It shall consist of: (I) at
least one member from each county that elects to join the authority
except that the county of Monroe shall have seven members of whom three
shall be appointed from the city of Rochester and four at large from the
county of Monroe, (II) and a voting member who is a transit dependent
individual appointed pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision, and
[shall have] (III) one non-voting member as described in paragraph (b)
of this subdivision. The members shall be appointed by the governor by
and with the advice and consent of the senate. The governor shall make
initial appointments to the authority in such number and from lists
submitted as follows: three members shall be appointed to the authority
from a list of not less than six names, all of whom must be residents of
the city of Rochester, submitted to the governor by the council of the
city of Rochester; four persons from a list of not less than eight
persons, all of whom must be residents of the county of Monroe submitted
by the legislature of the county of Monroe. Other counties electing to
participate shall each submit to the governor a list of not less than
two persons for each one hundred thousand or major fraction of the total
population, as determined by the last federal decennial or federal coun-
ty-wide special census. From the counties outside the county of Monroe
which shall elect to participate, the governor shall appoint one member
for each one hundred thousand or major fraction of the total population,
as determined by the last federal decennial or federal county-wide
special census, with a minimum of one member to represent each county
outside the county of Monroe so electing to participate. All members of
the authority shall be residents of the area from which they are nomi-
nated.
(c) The voting member who is a transit dependent individual as
described in paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall be appointed by the
governor [at the recommendation of a local or statewide transit advocacy
organization] for a term of five years. SUCH MEMBER SHALL BE A RESIDENT
OF A COUNTY WITHIN THE DISTRICT. If a vacancy occurs for such position,
a replacement shall be appointed within six months pursuant to this
process. ANY LOCAL OR STATEWIDE TRANSIT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION MAY
RECOMMEND ONE OR MORE TRANSIT DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS TO BE CONSIDERED
PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
§ 5. Subdivision 26 of section 1301 of the public authorities law, as
amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the public authorities
law relating to various transportation authorities, as proposed in
S. 815 3
legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C, is amended to read as
follows:
26. "Transit dependent INDIVIDUAL" shall mean an individual who is
limited to public transit as their primary mode of transportation
because the individual has a [temporary or] permanent disability.
§ 6. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 1303 of the public
authorities law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending
the public authorities law relating to various transportation authori-
ties, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C,
is amended to read as follows:
(a) There is hereby created the Capital District transportation
authority. The authority shall be a body corporate and politic consti-
tuting a public benefit corporation. It shall consist of not less than
eight nor more than fifteen members, including a chairman and shall have
one non-voting member as described in paragraph (b) of this subdivision.
At least one voting member shall be a transit dependent individual who
shall be appointed by the governor [at the recommendation of a local or
statewide transit advocacy organization, provided that if]. IF a vacancy
occurs for such transit dependent INDIVIDUAL member position, a replace-
ment shall be appointed within six months, subject to the same
appointment process within this paragraph. The members shall be
appointed by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the
senate. The governor shall make initial appointments to the authority in
such number and from lists submitted as follows: three members shall be
appointed to the authority from a list of six names, all of whom shall
be residents of the county of Albany, four of which names shall be
submitted to the governor by the majority party of the legislature of
the county of Albany and two of which names shall be submitted by the
minority party of such legislature; two members shall be appointed to
the authority from a list of four names, all of whom shall be residents
of the county of Schenectady, three of which names shall be submitted to
the governor by the majority party of the legislature of the county of
Schenectady and one of which names shall be submitted by the minority
party of such legislature; two members shall be appointed to the author-
ity from a list of four names, all of whom shall be residents of the
county of Rensselaer, three of which names shall be submitted to the
governor by the majority party of the legislature of the county of Rens-
selaer and one of which names shall be submitted by the minority party
of such legislature; two members shall be appointed to the authority
from a list of four names, all of whom shall be residents of the county
of Saratoga, three of which names shall be submitted to the governor by
the majority party of the legislature of the county of Saratoga and one
of which names shall be submitted by the minority party of such legisla-
ture. Other counties electing to participate shall each submit to the
governor a list of two persons each of whom shall be a resident of such
county, one of which names shall be submitted to the governor by the
majority party of the legislature of such county and one of which names
shall be submitted by the minority party of such legislature, from which
number the governor shall appoint one member for each such county so
electing to participate. IN ADDITION TO THE MEMBERS REPRESENTING EACH
COUNTY, THE GOVERNOR SHALL APPOINT ONE VOTING MEMBER WHO IS A TRANSIT
DEPENDENT INDIVIDUAL WHO RESIDES IN A COUNTY WITHIN THE DISTRICT. ANY
LOCAL OR STATEWIDE TRANSIT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION MAY RECOMMEND ONE OR
MORE TRANSIT DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR APPOINTMENT
PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
S. 815 4
§ 7. Subdivision 26 of section 1326 of the public authorities law, as
amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the public authorities
law relating to various transportation authorities, as proposed in
legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C, is amended to read as
follows:
26. "Transit dependent INDIVIDUAL" shall mean an individual who is
limited to public transit as their primary mode of transportation
because the individual has a [temporary or] permanent disability.
§ 8. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 1328 of the public
authorities law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending
the public authorities law relating to various transportation authori-
ties, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C,
is amended to read as follows:
(a) There is hereby created the central New York regional transporta-
tion authority. The authority shall be a body corporate and politic
constituting a public benefit corporation. It shall consist of not more
than twelve members, including a chairman and shall have one non-voting
member as described in paragraph (b) of this subdivision. At least one
voting member shall be a transit dependent individual who shall be
appointed by the governor [at the recommendation of a local or statewide
transit advocacy organization, provided that if]. IF a vacancy occurs
for such transit dependent INDIVIDUAL member position, a replacement
shall be appointed within six months, subject to the same appointment
process within this paragraph. The members shall be appointed by the
governor by and with the advice and consent of the senate. The governor
shall make initial appointments to the authority in such number and from
lists submitted as follows: three members shall be appointed to the
authority from a list of not less than six names, submitted to the
governor by the common council of the city of Syracuse, five [persons]
MEMBERS from a list of not less than ten names, submitted by the legis-
lature of the county of Onondaga and two members shall be appointed from
a list of not less than four names submitted by the legislature of the
county of Oneida. Other counties electing to participate shall each
submit to the governor a list of not less than two persons for each one
hundred thousand or major fraction of the total population, as deter-
mined by the nineteen hundred seventy or any subsequent federal decenni-
al or federal county-wide special census, of the counties outside the
county of Onondaga which shall elect to participate, from which number
the governor shall appoint one member for each one hundred thousand or
major fraction of the total population, as determined by such federal
decennial or federal county-wide special census, with a maximum of three
members to represent such counties outside the county of Onondaga so
electing to participate. IN ADDITION TO THE MEMBERS SPECIFIED ABOVE,
THE GOVERNOR SHALL APPOINT A TRANSIT DEPENDENT INDIVIDUAL AS A VOTING
MEMBER WHO RESIDES WITHIN A COUNTY WITHIN THE DISTRICT. ANY LOCAL OR
STATEWIDE TRANSIT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION MAY RECOMMEND ONE OR MORE TRANS-
IT DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR APPOINTMENT PURSUANT TO
THIS SECTION.
§ 9. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
manner as a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the public authorities
law relating to various transportation authorities, as proposed in
legislative bills numbers S. 3959-B and A. 7822-C, takes effect.