Senate Bill S7295

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to contracts to provide food services at transportation facilities and rest areas owned and operated by certain public authorities

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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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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 09, 2025	referred to transportation

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6246
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:: Add §390, Pub Auth L; amd Art 4, §1 of Chap 154 of 1921
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S7794, A8336

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that food services at transportation facilities and rest areas owned and operated by certain public authorities remain open seven days a week.

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7295

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public authorities law and chapter 154 of the laws
of 1921, relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in
relation to contracts to provide food services at authority owned and
operated transportation facilities and rest areas

 
PURPOSE:

To ensure that New York State's transportation facilities offer a reli-
able source of food services.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the public authorities' law by adding a new section 390
that requires any contracts entered into by the New York State Thruway
Authority for the operation of food services at public transportation
facilities shall require that services be provided every day of the
week.

Section 2 amends section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 and adds a
new subparagraph 7 establishing a policy that contracts for the opera-
tion of food services at Port Authority-owned transportation facilities
shall be required that services be provided every day of the week.

Section 3 establishes the effective date of the bill.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The New York State Thruway Authority's Service Area Redesign and Rede-
velopment Project is currently rebuilding the 27 service areas along the
Thruway through a public-private partnership. The travelling public and
commercial trucking industry rely on these service areas to rest, refuel
and to purchase food and beverages. In 2021, the Thruway Authority
engaged Applegreen, an Irish convenience store chain, to take over the
leases of all service areas.

Applegreen's portfolio of companies include Chick-fil-A, which by compa-
ny policy is closed on Sundays, and which has already opened at seven
service areas. While there is nothing objectionable about a fast food
restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedi-
cated to travelers are inappropriate locations for such a restaurant.

Publicly owned service areas should use their space to maximally benefit
the public. Allowing for retail space to go unused one seventh of the
week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers
who rely on these service areas.

This legislation will ensure that all future contracts for food conces-
sions at transportation facilities owned by the Thruway Authority, as
well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, will be required
to operate seven days a week, with an exclusion to temporary concessions
such as farmers' markets or local vendors.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: S7794/A8336 - Referred to Transportation/ Referred to corpo-
rations, authorities and commissions

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it becomes law.
However, section 2 of this act shall only take effect upon the State of
New Jersey passing an act with an identical effect.

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7295
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               April 9, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the public authorities law and chapter 154 of  the  laws
   of 1921, relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in
   relation  to contracts to provide food services at authority owned and
   operated transportation facilities and rest areas
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public  authorities  law  is amended by adding a new
 section 390 to read as follows:
   § 390. CONTRACTS FOR FOOD SERVICE.  ANY CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO FOR THE
 OPERATION OF FOOD SERVICES OR FOOD CONCESSIONS AT PUBLIC  TRANSPORTATION
 FACILITIES  OWNED  OR  OPERATED BY THE AUTHORITY SHALL REQUIRE THAT SUCH
 SERVICES BE PROVIDED EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS
 SECTION  THE  TERM  "PUBLIC  TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES"  SHALL MEAN AND
 INCLUDE THRUWAY REST AREAS, SERVICE AREAS  AND  WELCOME  CENTERS.    THE
 PROVISIONS  OF  THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS OR
 EVENTS INCLUDING FARMERS'  MARKETS,  FLEA  MARKETS  OR    LOCAL  VENDORS
 LICENSED  OR  PERMITTED TO OPERATE BY THE AUTHORITY.  NOTHING  CONTAINED
 IN  THIS  SECTION  SHALL   IMPAIR   ANY   EXISTING CONTRACT,  AWARD,  OR
 OTHER  AGREEMENT, EXCEPT THAT ANY RENEWAL, AMENDMENT, OR MODIFICATION OF
 ANY SUCH CONTRACT, AWARD OR AGREEMENT OCCURRING ON OR AFTER  THE  EFFEC-
 TIVE  DATE  OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS SPECIFIED
 IN THIS SECTION.
   § 2. Subparagraph 6 of paragraph f of subdivision 3 of article  IV  of
 section  1  of  chapter  154  of  the laws of 1921, relating to the port
 authority of New York and New Jersey, as amended by chapter 495  of  the
 laws  of  2023,  is amended and a new subparagraph 7 is added to read as
 follows:
   (6) PROVIDE information  concerning  services  for  human  trafficking
 victims  in port authority bus terminals. 1. Any bus terminal maintained
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08290-01-5

 S. 7295                             2
 
 or operated by the port authority shall make available in plain view and
 in a conspicuous place and manner in the public  restrooms  and  in  any
 lactation rooms, informational cards and/or signs developed by:
   (a)  the office of temporary and disability assistance in consultation
 with the New York state interagency task force on human trafficking; or
   (b) the United States Department of Homeland Security.
   2. All informational cards and signs shall  only  contain  information
 concerning  services for human trafficking victims and shall prominently
 include the national human trafficking hotline telephone number.
   3. For purposes of this section, "lactation room" shall mean a hygien-
 ic place, other than a restroom, that: (a) is shielded from view; (b) is
 free from intrusion; (c) contains a chair, a working  surface,  and,  if
 the  building  is  otherwise    supplied with electricity, an electrical
 outlet; and (d) is intended to  be  used  for  the  primary  purpose  of
 breastfeeding or expressing breast milk[.]; AND
   (7)  ESTABLISH  A  POLICY  THAT  CONTRACTS  FOR  THE OPERATION OF FOOD
 SERVICES OR FOOD CONCESSIONS AT TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES OWNED BY  SUCH
 AUTHORITY  SHALL REQUIRE THAT SUCH SERVICES BE PROVIDED EVERY DAY OF THE
 WEEK. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION THE TERM "TRANSPORTATION  FACILI-
 TIES"  SHALL  MEAN  AND INCLUDE BUS STATIONS, TRAIN STATIONS, REST AREAS
 AND MARINE TERMINAL FACILITIES.  THE PROVISIONS OF  THIS  SECTION  SHALL
 NOT APPLY TO TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS OR EVENTS INCLUDING FARMERS' MARKETS,
 FLEA  MARKETS OR   LOCAL VENDORS LICENSED OR PERMITTED TO OPERATE BY THE
 AUTHORITY.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
 have  become  a  law and shall apply to contracts entered into, renewed,
 amended, or modified on and after  such  date;  provided,  however  that
 section  two  of  this act shall  take effect upon  the  enactment  into
 law by the state of New Jersey of legislation having an identical effect
 with this act, but if the state of New Jersey shall have already enacted
 such legislation, such section shall take  effect immediately;  provided
 that  the  chairman of the port authority of New Jersey shall notify the
 legislative bill drafting commission  upon   the   occurrence   of   the
 enactment  of the legislation provided for in section two of this act in
 order that the commission may   maintain   an    accurate  and    timely
 effective  database of the official text of the laws of the state of New
 York  in   furtherance  of effectuating  the  provisions  of section  44
 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.

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Senate Bill S7295

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Michelle Hinchey

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7295 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments