What's happening
This bill creates a Sustainable Communities Fund to provide grants to municipalities for projects promoting smart growth and environmental resilience.
Why it matters
Prioritizes Local Buy-In and Fiscal Responsibility. Municipalities must provide matching funds to receive grants, ensuring local investment and shared financial responsibility in sustainable development projects.
Encourages Long-Term, Comprehensive Planning. Only projects that are integrated into comprehensive municipal plans and adhere to established smart growth principles are eligible, promoting coordinated and future-focused community development.
Supports a Wide Range of Resilient Infrastructure. Eligible uses include not just traditional infrastructure (like sidewalks and bike lanes) but also climate resilience (waterfront revitalization, combating urban sprawl, mixed-use development), helping communities adapt to environmental challenges and enhance quality of life.
Establishes Oversight and Accountability. The Commissioner of Environmental Conservation is tasked with creating rules for the fund’s administration, introducing a regulatory framework to ensure grants are awarded and used as intended.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create Sustainable Communities Fund
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 127
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to ways and means
- Referred to ways and means
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.
Fund for Greener Communities
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor Tony Avella
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6031
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 21, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the sustainable communities fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-aa to read as follows:
§ 99-aa. Sustainable communities fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner of environmental conservation a fund to be known as the "sustainable communities fund".
2. Such fund shall consist of all monies appropriated for its purpose, all other monies credited or transferred to such fund pursuant to law, and all monies required by this section or any other provisions of law to be paid into or credited to such fund.
3. Moneys of such fund shall be made available to the commissioner of environmental conservation and shall be used for grants to municipal corporations, as that term is defined in section two of the general municipal law, for eligible projects pursuant to this section. To qualify for such grants, municipal corporations shall (a) incorporate smart growth principles, as enumerated in article six of the environmental conservation law, into their comprehensive plans in accordance with sections two hundred seventy-two-a of the town law, 7-722 of the village law, and twenty-eight-a of the general city law, (b) demonstrate that eligible projects conform to the comprehensive plans, and (c) demonstrate the ability to leverage one dollar in matching funds for every dollar of state financial assistance.
4. Following appropriation by the legislature, monies of the fund shall be available only for distribution to eligible projects. Such eligible projects shall incorporate smart growth principles or utilize
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01011-02-7
A. 6031 2
climate resilient and environmentally friendly construction techniques and shall include, but not be limited to, creating walkable communities including the widening of sidewalks and bike lanes, waterfront revitalization projects including dredging, beautification projects, combating urban sprawl, and developing mixed use communities.
5. The commissioner of environmental conservation shall promulgate any necessary rules and regulations for the application and distribution of any funds pursuant to this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that the commissioner of environmental conservation is immediately authorized and directed to promulgate, amend, and/or repeal any rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act on or before its effective date.
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.