Senate Passes Bill to Provide SUNY and CUNY with Five-Year Capital Plans

The New York State Senate this week passed legislation (S5217), sponsored by Senator Kenneth LaValle (R-C-I, Port Jefferson), that would provide five-year capital plans for the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY). 

Senator LaValle said, “It’s important that capital expenditures and critical maintenance projects for SUNY and CUNY colleges and universities are properly planned and funded. We owe it to the students to ensure facilities are maintained and capital projects are undertaken in a deliberate manner. This legislation will require that five-year SUNY and CUNY capital plans be incorporated into the Executive Budget, so we can guarantee they are appropriately funded.” 

The most recent five-year capital plan to be enacted was in the 2008-2009 state budget, and was developed to ensure that the state's public colleges and universities would have the ability to plan for capital expenditures and substantially reduce the backlog of critical maintenance projects. The first round of five-year capital plans expired during the 2012-2013 budget cycle, and until now, a capital plan has not been included in recent Executive Budgets for the Legislature’s consideration. 

This bill would incorporate capital planning for SUNY and CUNY into the overall capital plan submitted to the Legislature and would require the Governor to submit five-year capital plans for SUNY and CUNY as part of the Executive Budget. This requirement would ensure that the facilities at the state’s public higher education institutions receive the capital funding necessary to meet their annual critical maintenance needs. 

The bill has been sent to the Assembly.