NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7602

Senate Bill S7602

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Exempts any resident of Staten Island or Richmond county from congestion pricing in New York City

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to transportation
Jul 14, 2023	referred to rules

2023-S7602 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Add §1704-b, amd §1630, V & T L; amd §553, Pub Auth L

2023-S7602 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Exempts any resident of Staten Island or Richmond county from being charged for entry into the New York City central business district.

2023-S7602 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7602

SPONSOR: SCARCELLA-SPANTON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the public authorities
law, in relation to exempting any resident of Staten Island or Richmond
county from congestion pricing in New York city

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation intent is to exempt Staten Island residents from being
assessed tolls on the Verrazzanno-Narrows Bridge.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. The public authority's law is amended by adding a new section
553-1 to read Verrazzano Narrows bridge; Staten Island resident
exemption. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, but
subject to agreements with noteholder and bondholders, the authority
shall exempt residents of the borough of Staten Island using a New York
customer service E-ZPass account on the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge from

the payment of any tolls thereof, provided, however, that such exemption
shall not apply to trips made by vehicles that are used for commercial
purposes. Application for such toll exemption shall be made in such
manner as shall be prescribed by the authority and shall contain such
information as the authority may reasonably require.

Section 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it
shall have become law. Effective immediate, the addition, amendment
and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
completed on or before such effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Staten Island being an island where access to a from the borough is via
bridges, one being the Verrazzano Narrows bridge where its current levy
is already the priciest in the nation. Only the 23-mile Chesapeake Bay
Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia, a chain of six crossings that costs $15 each
way, comes close. Staten Island is the only borough that burdens its
residents with tolls to access other boroughs and the State of New
Jersey.

Tolls put our businesses at a competitive disadvantage, affect our abil-
ity to visit family, burdens families that wish to access faith-based
meetings and impose a heavy financial burden on commuters, especially
residents that are financially burdened. With the implementation of
federal infrastructure funding and congestion pricing, the residents of
Staten Island should benefit by being allowed an exemption on at least
one of its more prominent access points, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2022 Session: Referred to Transportation

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have
become law. Effective immediate, the addition, amendment and/or repeal
of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act
on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or
before such effective date.

2023-S7602 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7602
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               July 14, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- 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 Staten Island or Rich-
   mond 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  STATEN ISLAND OR RICHMOND 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  STATEN
 ISLAND OR RICHMOND 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  STATEN  ISLAND  OR  RICHMOND
 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
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11867-01-3

 S. 7602                             2
 
 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
 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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