What's happening
This bill directs the New York State Thruway and Bridge Authorities to study and report on sharing services and potentially merging.
Why it matters
Potential for Cost Savings and Efficiency. By requiring a study of consolidating administrative and operational functions, the bill seeks to identify opportunities to reduce redundancies and lower expenses, which could ultimately translate to more efficient use of toll revenues and potential savings for the public.
Impact on Public Services and Workforce. The consolidation or merger of two large authorities could affect how maintenance, security, toll collection, and capital projects are managed, potentially impacting service quality and jobs for current employees.
Influence on Future Infrastructure Investments. A joint capital plan and possible merger could streamline how major bridge and thruway projects are designed, funded, and executed, possibly shaping the long-term development and maintenance of New York’s transportation network.
Transparency and Accountability. The requirement for detailed public reports—including immediate actions, regulatory and statutory needs, and cost savings estimates—means policymakers and the public will have insight into the trade-offs and benefits of any changes before decisions are made.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Bridge, Thruway Merger
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Study Merging Thruway, Bridge Authorities
In Senate Committee · Transportation · Sponsor David Carlucci
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
41
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CAHILL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT in relation to directing the New York State Thruway Authority and the New York State Bridge Authority to jointly study and report on methods that can be implemented to share services and combine functions, and on the feasibility of merging into a single entity
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. 1. The New York state thruway authority and the New York state bridge authority shall jointly conduct a study to explore the sharing and consolidation of services and functions in order to reduce each authority's overall administrative, operational and/or capital costs. Such authorities shall additionally conduct a study to explore the feasibility of a merger of the authorities into a single entity. Such authorities may employ the use of outside consultants in the conducting of either study, subject to competitive bidding requirements.
a. Sharing and consolidation of services study. The joint study to explore the sharing and consolidation of services and functions should be designed with the ultimate goal of streamlining the functions of each authority in order to reduce overall costs and increase efficiencies, and shall include, at a minimum, an examination of methods that can be implemented by each authority in order to:
(i) consolidate central administrative functions, such as purchasing, personnel management, hiring and employee benefits administration;
(ii) consolidate or share optional functions, such as maintenance, security services, toll collections and payment processing; and
(iii) develop and implement a joint capital plan whereby long term capital projects at each individual authority are jointly designed and constructed.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01616-01-7
A. 41 2
b. Merger study. The joint study to explore the feasibility of a merger of the New York state thruway authority and the New York state bridge authority into a single entity may, at the discretion of each authority's board of directors, be conducted in conjunction with or apart from the sharing and consolidation of services study and shall explore any and all aspects of a full merger of the two individual authorities into a single entity.
2. Reports. a. Within six months of the effective date of this act, the New York state thruway authority and the New York state bridge authority shall jointly issue a report of the findings of sharing and consolidation of services study to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(i) actions that can be implemented by each authority immediately, a plan of action for such implementation, and the estimated cost of savings to be achieved;
(ii) actions that require regulatory action by either or both authorities in order to be implemented, a plan of action for implementing such actions, and the estimated cost savings to be achieved; and
(iii) actions that require statutory changes in order to be implemented and the estimated cost savings to be achieved.
b. Within one year of the effective date of this act, the New York state thruway authority and the New York state bridge authority shall jointly issue a report of the findings of the merger feasibility study to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly. Such report shall include a full examination of all aspects of merging the two authorities into a single entity, a proposed plan of action for such merger, and the estimated cost savings to be achieved.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.