S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
5315--A
Cal. No. 1289
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
May 13, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sen. AMEDORE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education --
reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second
report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted,
retaining its place in the order of third reading
AN ACT to authorize the board of trustees of the state university of New
York to establish an advanced weather observing network across the
state
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds that the
establishment by the state university of New York of an advanced weather
observing network to expand weather detection coverage across the state
serves the public interest. This network will consist of up to 125
surface weather stations, with at least one site deployed in every coun-
ty in the state, to complement existing weather networks and provide a
wide range of sectors, such as agriculture, energy, transportation and
emergency responders with access to high resolution, real-time data for
emergency management purposes, and fulfills a necessary and desirable
public purpose.
The legislature further finds that granting the board of trustees of
the state university of New York the authority and power to enter into
contracts with the research foundation for the state university of New
York to permit the use of grounds and facilities at any of the campuses
of the state university for the limited purpose of constructing and
maintaining surface weather stations will ensure such activity and
promote weather data collection across the state.
S 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the
board of trustees of the state university, or its designee or designees,
is hereby authorized and empowered, without any public bidding, to
contract to permit the use of grounds and facilities at any campus of
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10548-05-5
S. 5315--A 2
the state university, with the approval of the president of such campus,
to the research foundation for the state university of New York for the
purpose of constructing surface weather stations. Each such grounds and
facilities shall be a plot of contiguous land not to exceed 400 linear
feet in total perimeter per site and shall not exceed .25 acres per site
and provided that each surface weather station shall be sited at least
300 feet from the nearest obstacle or potential heat source. Provided
further not more than one surface weather station shall be constructed
on a campus provided however more than one such station may be
constructed on the same campus provided such stations are 25 or more
miles apart. Such contracts shall be in writing and shall be for a term
not exceeding 40 years, without any fee simple conveyance and otherwise
upon such terms and conditions as shall be determined by such board of
trustees, or its designee or designees, subject to the approval of the
director of the budget, the attorney general and the state comptroller.
Such contracts shall include granting the research foundation for the
state university of New York, its employees, agents and contractors
authority to construct, install, erect, maintain, replace, test, cali-
brate and deconstruct a surface weather station on the plot of land that
is the subject of such contract and reasonable rights of ingress and
egress access to the plot of land that is the subject of such contract.
The research foundation for the state university shall not assign any
such contract or any rights granted therein. In the event that the real
property that is the subject of such a contract shall cease to be used
for the purposes described in this act, such contract shall immediately
terminate and the real property shall be restored to its original state.
All contracts or agreements entered into by the board of trustees of
the state university and the research foundation for the state universi-
ty pursuant to this act shall provide that any real property made avail-
able to the research foundation for the state university pursuant to
this act shall be restored to its original state upon the expiration of
the contract that makes grounds and facilities available to such
research foundation.
S 3. Notwithstanding any provision of law or judicial decision to the
contrary, all work performed on a project authorized by this act, where
all or any portion thereof involves a contract or agreement for
construction, demolition, reconstruction, excavation, rehabilitation,
repair, renovation, alteration or improvement shall be deemed public
work and shall be subject to and performed in accordance with the
provisions of article 8 of the labor law to the same extent and in the
same manner as a contract of the state, and compliance with all the
provisions of such article 8 shall be required of any contractor or
subcontractor on the project including the enforcement of prevailing
wage requirements by the fiscal officer, as defined in paragraph e of
subdivision 5 of section 220 of the labor law, to the same extent as a
contract of the state.
S 4. Nothing in this act shall be deemed to waive or impair any right
or benefit of employees of the state university of New York that other-
wise would be available to them pursuant to the terms of agreements
between the employee organization of such employees and the state pursu-
ant to article 14 of the civil service law and all work performed on
such property that ordinarily would be performed by such employees shall
continue to be performed by those employees.
S 5. Every contract executed pursuant to this act shall include an
indemnity provision whereby the research foundation for the state
university of New York shall be responsible to, and shall defend, indem-
S. 5315--A 3
nify and hold harmless the state and the state university of New York,
and their respective officers, trustees, directors, employees and agents
from and against any and all losses, expenses, damages and liabilities,
including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of the intentional or
negligent acts or omissions of the research foundation for the state
university of New York, its officers, employees, agents, licensees or
contractors.
S 6. Except for contracts entered into pursuant to section two of this
act, all other contracts or agreements entered into pursuant to this act
between the research foundation for the state university of New York and
parties contracting with the research foundation for the state universi-
ty of New York shall be awarded by a competitive bidding process.
S 7. The state university of New York shall not contract to permit the
use of grounds and facilities pursuant to this act unless any such
contract shall be executed within three years of the effective date of
this act.
S 8. Insofar as the provisions of this act are inconsistent with the
provisions of any other provision of law, the provisions of this act
shall be controlling.
S 9. This act shall take effect immediately.