S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
5908
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
March 3, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to the member-
ship of the metropolitan transportation authority
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section
1263 of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 68 of the laws
of 2024, is amended to read as follows:
(1) There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation authori-
ty." The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a
public benefit corporation. The authority shall consist of a chair-
person, [sixteen] SEVENTEEN other voting members, and two non-voting and
four alternate non-voting members, as described in subparagraph two of
this paragraph appointed by the governor by and with the advice and
consent of the senate. Any member appointed to a term commencing on or
after June thirtieth, two thousand nine shall have experience in one or
more of the following areas: transportation, public administration,
business management, finance, accounting, law, engineering, land use,
urban and regional planning, management of large capital projects, labor
relations, or have experience in some other area of activity central to
the mission of the authority. [Four] FIVE of the [sixteen] SEVENTEEN
voting members, ONE MEMBER FROM EACH OF NEW YORK CITY'S FIVE BOROUGHS,
AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2-202 OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE OF THE CITY OF
NEW YORK, other than the chairperson shall be appointed on the written
recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York; and each of seven
other voting members other than the chairperson shall be appointed after
selection from a written list of three recommendations from the chief
executive officer of the county in which the particular member is
required to reside pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision. Of
the members appointed on recommendation of the chief executive officer
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04306-01-5
S. 5908 2
of a county, one such member shall be, at the time of appointment, a
resident of the county of Nassau, one a resident of the county of
Suffolk, one a resident of the county of Westchester, one a resident of
the county of Dutchess, one a resident of the county of Orange, one a
resident of the county of Putnam and one a resident of the county of
Rockland, provided that the term of any member who is a resident of a
county that has withdrawn from the metropolitan commuter transportation
district pursuant to section twelve hundred seventy-nine-b of this title
shall terminate upon the effective date of such county's withdrawal from
such district. Of the five voting members, other than the chairperson,
appointed by the governor without recommendation from any other person,
three shall be, at the time of appointment, residents of the city of New
York and two shall be, at the time of appointment, residents of such
city or of any of the aforementioned counties in the metropolitan commu-
ter transportation district. Provided however, notwithstanding the fore-
going residency requirement, one of the five voting members appointed by
the governor without recommendation from any other person, other than
the chairperson, may be the director of the New York state division of
the budget, and provided further that, in the event of such appointment,
the budget director's membership in the authority shall be deemed ex-of-
ficio. Provided further, one of the twelve voting members, other than
the chairperson, appointed by the governor without recommendation by any
other person, or on the recommendation of the mayor of the city of New
York, or of the chief executive officer of the counties of Westchester,
Nassau, or Suffolk shall be a transit dependent individual. A "transit
dependent individual" shall mean an individual who is limited to public
transit as their primary mode of transportation because the individual
has a permanent disability, provided that any local or statewide transit
advocacy organization may recommend one or more transit dependent indi-
viduals to be considered for appointment pursuant to this section. The
chairperson and each of the members shall be appointed for a term of six
years, provided however, that the chairperson first appointed shall
serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one,
provided that thirty days after the effective date of the chapter of the
laws of two thousand nine which amended this subparagraph, the term of
the chairperson shall expire; provided, further, that such chairperson
may continue to discharge the duties of [his or her] office until the
position of chairperson is filled by appointment by the governor upon
the advice and consent of the senate and the term of such new chair-
person shall terminate June thirtieth, two thousand fifteen. The sixteen
other members first appointed shall serve for the following terms: The
members from the counties of Nassau and Westchester shall each serve for
a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-five; the members
from the county of Suffolk and from the counties of Dutchess, Orange,
Putnam and Rockland shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth,
nineteen hundred ninety-two; two of the members appointed on recommenda-
tion of the mayor of the city of New York shall each serve for a term
ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-four and, two shall each
serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one; two
of the members appointed by the governor without the recommendation of
any other person shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth,
nineteen hundred eighty-two, two shall each serve for a term ending June
thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty and one shall serve for a term ending
June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-five. THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CHAPTER OF THE LAWS OF TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
WHICH AMENDED THIS SUBPARAGRAPH, THE TERMS OF THE MEMBERS APPOINTED ON
S. 5908 3
RECOMMENDATION OF THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK SHALL EXPIRE,
PROVIDED, THAT SUCH MEMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF
THEIR OFFICE UNTIL THE POSITIONS ARE FILLED BY APPOINTMENT ON RECOMMEN-
DATION OF THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND THE TERM OF THREE OF
SUCH NEW MEMBERS SHALL TERMINATE JUNE THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
EIGHT, AND THE TERM OF TWO OF SUCH NEW MEMBERS SHALL TERMINATE JUNE
THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND THIRTY-ONE. The two non-voting and four alter-
nate non-voting members shall serve until January first, two thousand
one. The members from the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rock-
land shall cast one collective vote.
§ 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 1263 of the public
authorities law, as amended by section 2 of part E of chapter 39 of the
laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
(a) There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation authori-
ty." The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a
public benefit corporation. The authority shall consist of a [chairman]
CHAIRPERSON and [sixteen] SEVENTEEN other members appointed by the
governor by and with the advice and consent of the senate. Any member
appointed to a term commencing on or after June thirtieth, two thousand
nine shall have experience in one or more of the following areas of
expertise: transportation, public administration, business management,
finance, accounting, law, engineering, land use, urban and regional
planning, management of large capital projects, labor relations, or have
experience in some other area of activity central to the mission of the
authority. [Four] FIVE of the [sixteen] SEVENTEEN members, ONE MEMBER
FROM EACH OF NEW YORK CITY'S FIVE BOROUGHS, AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2-202
OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, other than the
[chairman] CHAIRPERSON shall be appointed on the written recommendation
of the mayor of the city of New York; and each of seven other members
other than the [chairman] CHAIRPERSON shall be appointed after selection
from a written list of three recommendations from the chief executive
officer of the county in which the particular member is required to
reside pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision. Of the members
appointed on recommendation of the chief executive officer of a county,
one such member shall be, at the time of appointment, a resident of the
county of Nassau; one a resident of the county of Suffolk; one a resi-
dent of the county of Westchester; and one a resident of the county of
Dutchess, one a resident of the county of Orange, one a resident of the
county of Putnam and one a resident of the county of Rockland, provided
that the term of any member who is a resident of a county that has with-
drawn from the metropolitan commuter transportation district pursuant to
section twelve hundred seventy-nine-b of this title shall terminate upon
the effective date of such county's withdrawal from such district. Of
the five members, other than the [chairman] CHAIRPERSON, appointed by
the governor without recommendation from any other person, three shall
be, at the time of appointment, residents of the city of New York and
two shall be, at the time of appointment, residents of such city or of
any of the aforementioned counties in the metropolitan commuter trans-
portation district. Provided however, notwithstanding the foregoing
residency requirement, one of the five voting members appointed by the
governor without recommendation from any other person, other than the
[chairman] CHAIRPERSON, may be the director of the New York state divi-
sion of the budget, and provided further that, in the event of such
appointment, the budget director's membership in the authority shall be
deemed ex-officio. The [chairman] CHAIRPERSON and each of the members
shall be appointed for a term of six years, provided however, that the
S. 5908 4
[chairman] CHAIRPERSON first appointed shall serve for a term ending
June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one, provided that thirty days
after the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand nine
which amended this paragraph, the term of the [chairman] CHAIRPERSON
shall expire; provided, further, that such [chairman] CHAIRPERSON may
continue to discharge the duties of [his] THEIR office until the posi-
tion of [chairman] CHAIRPERSON is filled by appointment by the governor
upon the advice and consent of the senate and the term of such new
[chairman] CHAIRPERSON shall terminate June thirtieth, two thousand
fifteen. The sixteen other members first appointed shall serve for the
following terms: The members from the counties of Nassau and Westchester
shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
eighty-five; the members from the county of Suffolk and from the coun-
ties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall each serve for a
term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred ninety-two; two of the
members appointed on recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York
shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
eighty-four and, two shall each serve for a term ending June thirtieth,
nineteen hundred eighty-one; two of the members appointed by the gover-
nor without the recommendation of any other person shall each serve for
a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-two, two shall
each serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty and
one shall serve for a term ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
eighty-five. THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CHAPTER OF THE
LAWS OF TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE WHICH AMENDED THIS PARAGRAPH, THE TERMS
OF THE MEMBERS APPOINTED ON RECOMMENDATION OF THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF
NEW YORK SHALL EXPIRE, PROVIDED, THAT SUCH MEMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO
DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF THEIR OFFICE UNTIL THE POSITIONS ARE FILLED BY
APPOINTMENT ON RECOMMENDATION OF THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND
THE TERM OF THREE OF SUCH NEW MEMBERS SHALL TERMINATE JUNE THIRTIETH,
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT, AND THE TERM OF TWO OF SUCH NEW MEMBERS SHALL
TERMINATE JUNE THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND THIRTY-ONE. The members from the
counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland shall cast one collec-
tive vote.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
the amendments to subparagraph (1) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of
section 1263 of the public authorities law made by section one of this
act shall be subject to the expiration and reversion of such paragraph
pursuant to section 3 of chapter 549 of the laws of 1994, as amended,
when upon such date the provisions of section two of this act shall take
effect.
