Senate Bill S6459

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6459

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to expand the Great Lakes flooding recovery
program to include damage caused by flooding of Seneca lake, the
Seneca river, the Oswego river, the Oneida river and/or Cross lake;
and making an appropriation therefor

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

This bill would expand the Great Lakes Flood Recovery program to also
damage as a result of flooding caused by the raised level of Seneca
Lake, the Seneca River, the Oswego River, the Oneida River and/or
Cross Lake, that occurred between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017,
and to provide for a $55,000,000 appropriation for the entire program.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1 of this bill would expand the Great Lakes Flood Recovery
program to also damage as a result of flooding caused by the raised
level of Seneca Lake, the Seneca River, the Oswego River, the Oneida
River and/or Cross Lake, that occurred between January 1, 2017 and
June 30, 20177.

Section two of this bill would provide for a $55,000,000 appropriation
for the Great Lakes Flood Recovery Program.

              

 JUSTIFICATION :

This past spring has seen numerous incidents of serious flooding in
upstate New York along Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, the
St. Lawrence River Seneca Lake, the Seneca River, the Oswego River,
the Oneida River and/or Cross Lake, that occurred between January 1,
2017 and June 30, 2017. This bill would expand the grant program to
promote recovery from such natural disaster, by allowing much needed
financial resources to flow to small businesses, farms, owners of
multiple dwellings, owners of residences, not-for profit corporations
and municipalities from the empire state development corporation.

This bill would further provide a $55,000,000 appropriation to supply
funds for the Great Lakes Flood Recovery Program. This program,
modeled after a highly successful program implemented after the
state-wide flooding in the wake of the Irene and Lee Storms of 2011,
is hoped to equally provide the important relief to these devastated
New Yorkers, who have seen serious flooding damage over the last few
months.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

This is a new bill

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

$55 million dollar appropriation

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
Immediately.