NY State Bill 2021-S9579

Archive: Last Bill Status -

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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2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that any resident of Rockland county or Orange county shall not be charged a toll for entry into or remaining in the central business district in New York city.

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9579

SPONSOR: REICHLIN-MELNICK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the public authorities
law, in relation to exempting any resident of Rockland county or Orange
county from congestion pricing in New York City

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would exempt residents of Rockland and Orange Counties from
congestion pricing tolls in New York City, in order to address equity of
access to public transportation into New York City.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Establishes section 1704-b of the vehicle and traffic law to
exempt any resident of Rockland county or Orange county from the central
business district tolling program.

Section 2. Amends Subdivision 4 of section 1630 of the vehicle and traf-

fic law, as amended by section 2 of subpart A of part ZZZ of chapter 59
of the laws of 2019 to explicitly exempt residents of Rockland and
Orange counties from tolls, taxes, fees, licenses, or permits for the
central business district tolling program.

Section 3. Amends Subdivision 12-a of section 553 of the public authori-
ties law, as added by section 4 of subpart A of part ZZZ of chapter 59
of the laws of 2019 to exempt any vehicle which originates in Rockland
or Orange county from tolls, fees, and other charges related to the
central business district tolling program.

Section 4. Establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

For decades, New York residents of suburban communities west of the
Hudson River have had to deal with subpar and deteriorating mass-transit
services to the economic engine of the region - New York City. At the
same time, these communities in Rockland and Orange Counties have subsi-
dized mass transit infrastructure by paying payroll, sales, gas, and
income taxes to subsidize investment in rail and other transit infras-
tructure in communities in New York City, Westchester County, and on
Long Island.

In 2023, the central business district tolling program, known as
"congestion pricing" for NYC, is scheduled to go into effect, adding
another massive burden on to the commuting costs for residents of Rock-
land and Orange counties. This unfair new tax will mean that Rockland
and Orange commuters will be paying even more to subsidize new rail and
mass transit investments in communities outside of their own, without
seeing any significant new investment in their own communities' mass-
transit options at any point in the foreseeable future.

Adding insult to injury is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's
recent threat to cut the already miniscule amounts of train service that
south Rockland County currently receives if they don't get more money.

The goal of "congestion pricing" is to incentivize commuters to utilize
mass-transit instead of personal cars for commuting, as a way to fight
climate change - a necessary and important step. However, it is impossi-
ble for Rockland and Orange County commuters to convert to taking mass-
transit options to work if reliable and affordable options do not exist,
or the few options that are available are cut.

Until Rockland and Orange counties receive the mass-transit service
options they deserve, they should not be asked to pay one cent more to
subsidize the system for others.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

As Rockland & Orange County drivers account for only approximately 1% of
the total volume of cars in the central business district, the impact on
the MTA's finances of exempting drivers from these counties would be
minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9579
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             October 17, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. REICHLIN-MELNICK -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the  public  authorities
   law,  in  relation  to  exempting  any  resident of Rockland county or
   Orange county from congestion pricing in New York City

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  vehicle  and  traffic law is amended by adding a new
 section 1704-b to read as follows:
   § 1704-B. EXEMPTION FROM CENTRAL BUSINESS  DISTRICT  TOLLING  PROGRAM.
 ANY  RESIDENT  OF  ROCKLAND COUNTY OR ORANGE COUNTY SHALL NOT BE CHARGED
 FOR ENTRY INTO OR REMAINING IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PURSUANT TO
 SECTION SEVENTEEN HUNDRED FOUR-A OF THIS ARTICLE.
   § 2. Subdivision 4 of section 1630 of the vehicle and traffic law,  as
 amended  by section 2 of subpart A of part ZZZ of chapter 59 of the laws
 of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   4. Charging of tolls, taxes, fees, licenses or permits for the use  of
 the  highway  or  any of its parts or entry into or remaining within the
 central business district established by article  forty-four-C  of  this
 chapter,  where  the  imposition  thereof  is  authorized  by law.   THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL NOT APPLY TO RESIDENTS OF  ROCKLAND
 COUNTY OR ORANGE COUNTY.
   § 3. Subdivision 12-a of section 553 of the public authorities law, as
 added by section 4 of subpart A of part ZZZ of chapter 59 of the laws of
 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   12-a.  To  establish and charge variable tolls, fees and other charges
 for vehicles entering or remaining within the central business district,
 EXCEPT FOR ANY VEHICLE WHICH ORIGINATES IN  ROCKLAND  COUNTY  OR  ORANGE
 COUNTY,  and  to  make  rules and regulations for the collection of such
 tolls, fees and other charges, subject to and in  accordance  with  such
 agreement  with bondholders and applicable federal law as may be made as
 hereinafter provided. Subject to agreements with bondholders and  appli-
 cable  federal  law, all tolls, fees and other revenues derived from the
 central business district  tolling  program  shall  be  applied  to  the
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD16267-01-2
 S. 9579                             2
 
 payment  of  operating,  administration, and other necessary expenses of
 the authority properly allocable to such program, including the  capital
 costs  of  such  program, and to the payment of interest or principal of
 bonds,  notes  or other obligations of the authority or the metropolitan
 transportation authority issued for transit  and  commuter  projects  as
 provided  in section five hundred fifty-three-j of this title, and shall
 not be subject to distribution under section five  hundred  sixty-nine-c
 of  this title or section twelve hundred nineteen-a of this chapter. The
 provisions of section twenty-eight hundred four of  this  chapter  shall
 not  be  applicable  to  the tolls and fees established by the authority
 pursuant to this subdivision. Any such fares, tolls, and  other  charges
 shall  be  established and changed only if approved by resolution of the
 authority adopted by not less than a majority vote of the  whole  number
 of members of the authority then in office, with the chairman having one
 additional  vote  in  the  event  of a tie vote, and only after a public
 hearing.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.

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Bill S9579

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status -

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Bill S9579

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Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status -

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S9579 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments