NY State Senate Bill 2019-S3290

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to education
Feb 05, 2019	referred to education

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S4385
2017-2018: S3876

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the school energy efficiency program which shall construct a proposal to streamline the approval process for the installation of energy efficiency projects in public schools.

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S3290

SPONSOR: RANZENHOFER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act establishing the school energy efficiency program

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation will streamline the process for approving school energy
efficiency projects submitted for review and approval to the State
Education Department.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Legislative intent.

Section 2. A school energy efficiency program will be established to
streamline the approval process for eligible entities pursuing the
installation of energy efficiency projects. The New York State Education
Department (SED) will delineate how energy efficiency project approval

requests will be processed separately from all other capital improvement
applications. SED must provide a specific date for such a process to be
in place. A report to the Governor and Legislature on how it will manage
such project reviews and approvals, including any legislative action
that might be required, is due by January 1, 2021.

Section 3. Effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Each year, over $1 billion dollars are spent on energy costs by school
districts all across New York State. Costs vary by school districts with
smaller school districts incurring costs of several million dollars per
year and larger school districts, like New York City, have costs total-
ing over $300 million per year to heat and light their school buildings.

As energy costs continue to rise and as school budgets are facing
increasing constraints leading to cuts in enrichment programs, increased
class sizes, reduction of support staff and cuts in teaching staff, it
is important that practical and tangible opportunities to institute cost
savings are given our highest priority.

Currently schools looking to reduce their energy costs by putting in
place energy efficiency technologies have to wait for a long approval
process by the State Education Department because these energy efficien-
cy improvements are reviewed by the same team that reviews and approves
larger capital Improvement programs.  this legislation seeks to stream-
line the review and approval for energy efficiency projects submitted
for review by school districts.  There is no fiscal impact created by
this legislation. Rather, SED has been asked to set up a review process
within their existing division of duties of the employees assigned to
review capital projects submitted for approval. SED has been asked to
establish the streamline process by January 1, 2021 and to report to the
Governor and the Legislature on how the new streamline process will
work.

In 2012, the Legislature authorized and the Governor approved a review
of how new energy efficiency and green technologies could help schools
reduce and eventually eliminate their huge and rising energy costs. The
review required a set of recommendations. This legislation is a direct
by-product of that review and is one of the recommendations that were
provided to help schools free up funding that could be put to use to
directly help student academic achievement. It is critically important
that this legislation is passed by the Legislature and approved by the
Governor in 2017.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2017-18 - S.3876 - EDUCATION/EDUCATION

2015-16 - S.4385-AJA.5976-A - EDUCATION/Education

2014 - A9856 -- Education

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3290
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 5, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RANZENHOFER -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT establishing the school energy efficiency program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Legislative intent. At a cost annually of over $1 billion
 dollars in utility costs, the energy costs for  public  schools  in  New
 York  need  to be addressed to reduce such escalating costs and to allow
 for a redirection of such expenditures to improve  academic  performance
 in our state. The legislature therefore finds that New York state should
 conduct  a  review of the project approval process to determine how best
 to expedite the start of construction and implementation of school ener-
 gy efficiency projects. Currently, energy projects are reviewed  by  the
 same  group  at  the  New  York  state education department that is also
 responsible for reviewing critical school district capital projects. The
 process review should focus on how a higher priority might be  given  to
 energy  efficiency  projects  while  at  the  same  time  ensuring  that
 mission-critical capital projects are not delayed. Pursuing all cost-ef-
 fective energy efficiency in New York state schools  will  require  that
 many more projects will need to be approved annually than have ever been
 in  the  past.  A  streamlined,  transparent,  and  efficient review and
 approval process is a necessary component  of  an  increased  effort  to
 promote energy efficiency projects in schools.
   §  2.  School  energy  efficiency  program. 1. Establishment. There is
 hereby established the school  energy  efficiency  program.  Under  this
 program,  the  department  shall  construct a proposal to streamline the
 approval process for eligible  entities  pursuing  the  installation  of
 energy efficiency projects.
   2. Proposal requirements. The department through this program shall:
   a. demonstrate how energy efficiency project approval requests will be
 processed separately from all other capital improvement applications;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD01699-01-9

 S. 3290                             2
 
   b. set a specific date for when the streamlined approval process shall
 be in place; and
   c.  determine  if  any  legislative  action  is  necessary to make the
 streamlined approval process operational.
   3. Report. The department shall report its findings,  conclusions  and
 recommendations  to  the governor, majority leader of the senate and the
 speaker of the assembly by January 1, 2021.
   4. Definitions. For purposes of this program the following terms shall
 have the following meanings:
   a. "Department" shall mean the New York state education department.
   b. "Eligible entity" shall mean any  public  elementary  or  secondary
 school located in New York state.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S3290

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

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2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Michael H. Ranzenhofer

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Actions

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S3290 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments