BILL NUMBER:  S6497

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the highway law, in relation to the
designation of the "United States Submarine Veterans' Memorial
Highway"

 PURPOSE :  To designate a portion of New York State Route 9 in
Saratoga County as the "United States Submarine Veterans Memorial
Highway"

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 - amends the highway law by adding a new section 344-e to
designate a portion of the state highway system as the "United States
Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway". That portion of State Highway
Route 9 commencing in Southern Saratoga County, at the northern end of
the Crescent Bridge and between Vischer Ferry Road and Church Hill
Road continuing along route 9 through the Towns of Halfmoon, Clifton
Park, Malta, Saratoga Springs, Greenfield, and Wilton, terminating at
the corner of Route 9 and Ballard Road in the town of Wilton shall be
designated as the "United States Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway".

Section 2 calls for the Commissioner of Transportation to provide for
the installation and maintenance of appropriate signage of the state
highway system as designated pursuant to section 1.

              

Section 3 is the effective date. Section three stipulates this act
shall take effect immediately.

 JUSTIFICATION :  The United States Submarine Service was born on
April 11, 1900 and on April 11, 2016, will be 115 years old. The
Service has always been known as the "Silent Service", but its
accomplishments have been much more than silent. Following the attacks
on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, with the Pacific Fleet in ruins,
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, a submariner himself, declared after the
attack, "it was the Submarine Force that I looked to carry the load
until our great industrial activity could produce the weapons we so
sorely needed to carry the war to the enemy. It is to the everlasting
honor and glory of our submarine personnel that they never failed us
in our days of great peril".

During WWII, the US Submarine Force consisted of 1.6% of all Naval
personnel but inflicted a staggering 55% of Japan's maritime losses.
Of approximately 6,000,000 tons comprising the entire Japanese
merchant-fleet, U.S. submarines sank 4,860,000 tons, 1,113 Japanese
merchant ships and during the same period, sank 214 Naval warships,
about 1/3 of all warships destroyed.

However these successes did not come without a price. 52 American
submarines were lost during WWII along with 3500 submariners when
their Boats didn't return from patrol. From 1900 to 2016, the U.S.
Submarine Force has become a major deterrent to global wars. In the
words of former Army General and Secretary of State Colin Powell; "No
one has done more to prevent conflict - no one has made a greater
sacrifice for the cause of peace - than you America's proud submarine
family. You stand tall among our heroes of the Cold War".

Historic State Route 9 was chosen as the UNITED STATES SUBMARINE
VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY because New York and Saratoga County are
rich in military history, and are natural places for this memorial.
This portion of the highway was chosen due to the rich heritage and
dense Naval presence in the Capital/Saratoga Region. The Naval Nuclear
Power Training Unit in West Milton, Knolls Atomic Power Labs in
Schenectady, and Naval Support Units in both Scotia and Saratoga,
along with our Submarine Veterans group are all close by. Over the
years over 57,000 students and staff, including former President Jimmy
Carter, have gone through the Nuclear Power training program and many
have returned to make their home in this area. We can think of no
better place than Saratoga County's portion of Historic New York State
Route 9. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors has passed a
Resolution in support of this project. This Bill will provide
visibility and long-overdue recognition to a region of New York State
and Submarine Force that has contributed so much to the nation's
security.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY : None

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS : None

 EFFECTIVE DATE :  This act shall take effect immediately.

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6497A

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the highway law, in relation to the
designation of the "Saratoga County U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial
Highway"

 PURPOSE :

To designate a portion of New York State Route 9 in Saratoga County as
the "Saratoga County U.S. Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway"

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 - amends the highway law by adding a new section 344-e to
designate a portion of the state highway system as the "Saratoga
County U.S. Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway". That portion of
State Highway Route 9 in Saratoga County (beginning at the Albany
County line and terminating at the Warren County line)shall be
designated as the "Saratoga County U.S. Submarine Veterans Memorial
Highway".

Section 2 calls for the Commissioner of Transportation to provide for
the installation and maintenance of appropriate signage of the state
highway system as designated pursuant to section 1.

Section 3 is the effective date. Section three stipulates this act
              

shall take effect immediately.

 JUSTIFICATION :

The United States Submarine Service was born on April 11, 1900 and on
April 11, 2016, will be 115 years old. The Service has always been
known as the "Silent Service", but its accomplishments have been much
more than silent. Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941, with the Pacific Fleet in ruins, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, a
submariner himself, declared after the attack, "it was the Submarine
Force that I looked to carry the load until our great industrial
activity could produce the weapons we so sorely needed to carry the
war to the enemy. It is to the everlasting honor and glory of our
submarine personnel that they never failed us in our days of great
peril".

During WWII, the US Submarine Force consisted of 1.6% of all Naval
personnel but inflicted a staggering 55% of Japan's maritime losses.
Of approximately 6,000,000 tons comprising the entire Japanese
merchant-fleet, U.S. submarines sank 4,860,000 tons, 1,113 Japanese
merchant ships and during the same period, sank 214 Naval warships,
about 1/3 of all warships destroyed.

However these successes did not come without a price. 52 American
submarines were lost during WWII along with 3500 submariners when
their Boats didn't return from patrol. From 1900 to 2016, the U.S.
Submarine Force has become a major deterrent to global wars. In the
words of former Army General and Secretary of State Colin Powell; "No
one has done more to prevent conflict - no one has made a greater
sacrifice for the cause of peace - than you America's proud submarine
family. You stand tall among our heroes of the Cold War".

Historic State Route 9 was chosen as the "Saratoga County U.S.
Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway" because New York and Saratoga
County are rich in military history, and are natural places for this
memorial. This portion of the highway was chosen due to the rich
heritage and dense Naval presence in the Capital/Saratoga Region. The
Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in West Milton, Knolls Atomic Power
Labs in Schenectady, and Naval Support Units in both Scotia and
Saratoga, along with our Submarine Veterans group are all close by.
Over the years over 57,000 students and staff, including former
President Jimmy Carter, have gone through the Nuclear Power training
program and many have returned to make their home in this area. We can
think of no better place than Saratoga County's portion of Historic
New York State Route 9. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors has
passed a Resolution in support of this project. This Bill will provide
visibility and long-overdue recognition to a region of New York State
and Submarine Force that has contributed so much to the nation's
security.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

None

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.