Assembly Bill A10050A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                 10050--A
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. SHIMSKY, SHRESTHA, HOOKS, OTIS, BURROUGHS, KIM,
   KASSAY, SIMONE, PAULIN, TAPIA, BURDICK, LEVENBERG, ROSENTHAL, CASHMAN,
   GALLAGHER, GLICK, SAYEGH, SIMON, KELLES -- read once and  referred  to
   the Committee on Transportation -- committee discharged, bill amended,
   ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN  ACT  to amend the transportation law, in relation to creating a road
   salt reduction policies and applicator training program and  requiring
   the  training  of  state agencies and state contractors which use road
   salt
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The transportation law is amended by adding a new section
 23 to read as follows:
   § 23. ROAD SALT REDUCTION POLICIES AND APPLICATOR TRAINING PROGRAM. 1.
 (A) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "ROAD SALT" SHALL MEAN  A
 MINERAL FORM OF SODIUM CHLORIDE WHICH MELTS SNOW AND ICE BY LOWERING THE
 FREEZING POINT OF WATER.
   (B)  THE  COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF ENVI-
 RONMENTAL CONSERVATION, SHALL, NO LATER THAN DECEMBER FIRST,  TWO  THOU-
 SAND  TWENTY-SEVEN, ESTABLISH A SET OF COMPREHENSIVE ROAD SALT REDUCTION
 POLICIES AND STANDARDS TO INCLUDE, BUT NOT  BE  LIMITED  TO,  REASONABLE
 APPLICATION  METHODS,  TECHNIQUES,  RATES  AND FREQUENCIES TO MEASURABLY
 REDUCE ROAD SALT APPLIED TO PUBLIC ROADWAYS, ENHANCEMENT OF WINTER  ROAD
 MAINTENANCE  LEVELS  OF SERVICE AND BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AND MONI-
 TORING AND OPERATIONAL PLAN GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIVITIES.
   2. (A) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL, NO LATER THAN DECEMBER FIRST, TWO THOU-
 SAND TWENTY-EIGHT, DESIGN A ROAD SALT  APPLICATOR  TRAINING  PROGRAM  TO
 TRAIN  ROAD  SALT  APPLICATORS IN MEETING THE STANDARDS OF THE ROAD SALT
 REDUCTION POLICIES ESTABLISHED  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  THIS
 SECTION.  SUCH  ROAD SALT APPLICATOR TRAINING PROGRAM SHALL INCLUDE, BUT
 NEED NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (I) INSTRUCTION IN THE SCIENCE OF ROAD SALT, GRANULAR ROAD SALT ALTER-
 NATIVES AND ROAD SALT POLLUTION;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13872-03-6
              

 A. 10050--A                         2
 
   (II) TRAINING MATERIALS REGARDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND  HUMAN  HEALTH
 IMPACTS OF ROAD SALT;
   (III)  BEST PRACTICES FOR THE APPLICATION OF SODIUM CHLORIDE TO ROADS,
 PARKING LOTS, AND SIDEWALKS, SUCH AS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BASELINE STAN-
 DARDS FOR SALT APPLICATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR WINTER  MANAGEMENT
 OPERATIONS;
   (IV) USE OF STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT FOR SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL;
   (V)  USE  OF MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES FOR ANNUAL REPORTING OF ROAD SALT
 USE BY LOCATION;
   (VI) A PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE REDUCTION OR ELIMINATION OF SODIUM CHLO-
 RIDE POLLUTION IN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS;
   (VII) A VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR ASSURING  BEST  PRACTICES  ARE  BEING
 IMPLEMENTED AND SHALL CONTINUE TO BE IMPLEMENTED;
   (VIII) THE USE OF ROAD SALT ALTERNATIVES; AND
   (IX)  A PROCESS FOR CERTIFICATION OF TRAINED AND APPROVED APPLICATORS,
 INCLUDING PARTICULAR LOCATIONS FOR IN-PERSON TRAINING, AND A TIME PERIOD
 WITHIN WHICH TO COMPLETE CONTINUING TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.
   (B) IN CREATING THE ROAD SALT APPLICATOR TRAINING PROGRAM, THE COMMIS-
 SIONER SHALL USE BEST EFFORTS TO REVIEW CURRENT  PROGRAMS  AND  RESEARCH
 BEING CONDUCTED IN THE STATE.
   (C)  IN  CREATING  THE  ROAD  SALT  APPLICATION  TRAINING PROGRAM, THE
 COMMISSIONER SHALL CONSIDER THE ABILITY TO  OPEN  THE  TRAINING  TO  ALL
 APPLICATORS APPLYING ROAD SALT ON PUBLIC ROADWAYS, DRIVEWAYS AND PARKING
 LOTS.
   3.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  PREPARE  AND SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE
 TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY,  THE
 MINORITY  LEADERS  OF  THE  SENATE  AND  ASSEMBLY, AND THE CHAIRS OF THE
 SENATE AND ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES ON TRANSPORTATION, ON OR BEFORE  DECEMBER
 FIRST,  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-NINE, A REPORT CONTAINING THE DEPARTMENT'S
 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOLLOWING THE IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  ROAD
 SALT APPLICATOR TRAINING PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO
 OF THIS SECTION THAT INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
   (A)  RECOMMENDATIONS  FOR  EXPANDING  THE AVAILABILITY OF THE TRAINING
 PROGRAM;
   (B) RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING FUNDING OPTIONS OR ASSISTANCE TO LOCALI-
 TIES FOR PURCHASE OF STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT FOR THE  APPLICATION  OF
 ROAD SALT;
   (C) FINDINGS, USING EXISTING DATA AND INFORMATION, REGARDING LOCATIONS
 IN  THE STATE WHERE ROAD SALT CONTAMINATION MAY BE A THREAT TO THE ENVI-
 RONMENT, PROPERTY OR HUMAN HEALTH, TO THE EXTENT THAT  SUCH  INFORMATION
 IS  AVAILABLE  FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND THE
 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH;
   (D) FINDINGS REGARDING THE USE OF SIMILAR PROGRAMS  IN  OTHER  STATES;
 AND
   (E) FINDINGS REGARDING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CONDUCTING SUCH PROGRAM.
   4.  EFFECTIVE JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-NINE, THE DEPARTMENT,
 EVERY STATE AGENCY, AND EVERY STATE CONTRACTOR WHICH APPLIES  ROAD  SALT
 ON  STATE ROADS, DRIVEWAYS AND PARKING LOTS SHALL USE THE TRAINING MATE-
 RIALS ESTABLISHED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION TO TRAIN AND INFORM
 EMPLOYEES ON THE BEST PRACTICES OF APPLYING ROAD SALT.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.