S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3413
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. EACHUS, BARRETT, WALKER, BRABENEC, SLATER -- read
   once  and  referred  to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and
   Commissions
 
 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 chapter 68 of the laws
 of 2024, 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  chair-
 person, sixteen other voting members, and two non-voting and four alter-
 nate  non-voting members, as described in subparagraph two of this para-
 graph 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: 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 chairperson 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 chairperson 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,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06678-01-5
              

 A. 3413                             2
 
 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 resi-
 dent 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 with-
 drawn 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 chairperson,  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  transporta-
 tion 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  chair-
 person,  may be the director of the New York state division of the budg-
 et, and provided further that, in the event  of  such  appointment,  the
 budget  director's  membership in the authority shall be deemed ex-offi-
 cio. Provided further, one of the twelve voting members, other than  the
 chairperson,  appointed  by  the  governor without recommendation by any
 other person, or on the recommendation of the mayor of the city  of  New
 York,  or of the chief executive officer of the counties of Westchester,
 Nassau, or Suffolk shall be a transit dependent individual.  A  "transit
 dependent  individual" shall mean an individual who is limited to public
 transit as their primary mode of transportation because  the  individual
 has a permanent disability, provided that any local or statewide transit
 advocacy  organization may recommend one or more transit dependent indi-
 viduals to be considered for appointment pursuant to this  section.  The
 chairperson and each of the members shall be appointed for a term of six
 years,  provided  however,  that  the  chairperson 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 chairperson shall expire; provided, further, that  such  chairperson
 may  continue to discharge the duties of [his or her] THEIR office until
 the position of chairperson is filled by  appointment  by  the  governor
 upon  the  advice  and  consent  of  the senate and the term of such new
 chairperson 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,  nine-
 teen  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, 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 coun-
 A. 3413                             3

 ties  of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall cast one collective
 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]
 CHAIRPERSON 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-
 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] CHAIRPERSON 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] CHAIR-
 PERSON 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 resi-
 dent 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]  CHAIRPERSON,  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] CHAIRPERSON,
 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]  CHAIRPERSON and each of the members shall be appointed for a
 term of six years, provided however,  that  the  [chairman]  CHAIRPERSON
 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 para-
 graph,  the  term  of the [chairman] CHAIRPERSON shall expire; provided,
 further, that such [chairman] CHAIRPERSON may continue to discharge  the
 duties  of  [his]  THEIR  office until the position of [chairman] CHAIR-
 PERSON is filled by appointment by the  governor  upon  the  advice  and
 consent  of  the  senate and the term of such new [chairman] CHAIRPERSON
 shall terminate June thirtieth, two thousand fifteen. The sixteen  other
 members first appointed shall serve for the following terms: The members
 A. 3413                             4
 
 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 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  thirti-
 eth,  nineteen hundred eighty and one shall serve for a term ending June
 thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-five. [The members from the  counties
 of  Dutchess,  Orange,  Putnam  and  Rockland  shall cast one collective
 vote.]
   § 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.