S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  4197

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 29, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced by M. of A. CAHILL -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

AN ACT in relation to directing the New York State Thruway Authority and
  the  New  York  State  Bridge Authority to jointly study and report on
  methods that can be implemented to share services  and  combine  func-
  tions, and on the feasibility of merging into a single entity

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. 1. The New York state thruway authority and  the  New  York
state  bridge  authority  shall  jointly  conduct a study to explore the
sharing and consolidation of services and functions in order  to  reduce
each  authority's  overall  administrative,  operational  and/or capital
costs. Such authorities shall additionally conduct a  study  to  explore
the  feasibility  of  a  merger of the authorities into a single entity.
Such authorities may employ  the  use  of  outside  consultants  in  the
conducting of either study, subject to competitive bidding requirements.
  a.  Sharing  and  consolidation  of services study. The joint study to
explore the sharing and consolidation of services and  functions  should
be designed with the ultimate goal of streamlining the functions of each
authority  in  order  to reduce overall costs and increase efficiencies,
and shall include, at a minimum, an examination of methods that  can  be
implemented by each authority in order to:
  (i)  consolidate central administrative functions, such as purchasing,
personnel management, hiring and employee benefits administration;
  (ii) consolidate or share optional  functions,  such  as  maintenance,
security services, toll collections and payment processing; and
  (iii)  develop  and  implement  a joint capital plan whereby long term
capital projects at each individual authority are jointly  designed  and
constructed.
  b. Merger study. The joint study to explore the feasibility of a merg-
er of the New York state thruway authority and the New York state bridge

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD08325-01-5
              

A. 4197                             2

authority  into  a single entity may, at the discretion of each authori-
ty's board of directors, be conducted in conjunction with or apart  from
the  sharing  and  consolidation of services study and shall explore any
and all aspects of a full  merger of the two individual authorities into
a single entity.
  2.  Reports.  a.  Within six months of the effective date of this act,
the New York state thruway authority  and  the  New  York  state  bridge
authority  shall  jointly  issue a report of the findings of sharing and
consolidation of services study to the governor, the temporary president
of the senate and  the  speaker  of  the  assembly.  Such  report  shall
include, but not be limited to, the following:
  (i)  actions  that can be implemented by each authority immediately, a
plan of action for  such  implementation,  and  the  estimated  cost  of
savings to be achieved;
  (ii) actions that require regulatory action by either or both authori-
ties  in order to be implemented, a plan of action for implementing such
actions, and the estimated cost savings to be achieved; and
  (iii) actions that require statutory changes in  order  to  be  imple-
mented and the estimated cost savings to be achieved.
  b.  Within  one  year  of the effective date of this act, the New York
state thruway authority and the New York state  bridge  authority  shall
jointly  issue  a report of the findings of the merger feasibility study
to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and  the  speaker
of  the  assembly.  Such  report shall include a full examination of all
aspects of merging the two authorities into a single entity, a  proposed
plan  of  action  for  such merger, and the estimated cost savings to be
achieved.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.