What's happening
This bill directs the New York State Thruway and Bridge Authorities to study and report on consolidating services and the feasibility of merging into one entity.
Why it matters
Potential for cost savings and efficiency. By requiring detailed studies on consolidating or merging the Thruway and Bridge Authorities, the bill aims to identify specific ways to reduce administrative, operational, and capital costs—potentially impacting toll rates, budgets, and public infrastructure spending.
Focus on practical implementation. The legislation asks for concrete recommendations, including which actions each authority can undertake immediately, which require regulatory or statutory changes, and the estimated savings for each scenario—providing a roadmap for actual changes rather than just theoretical analysis.
Accountability and transparency. The mandate for public reporting to the governor and legislative leaders, with clear deadlines, means any recommendations or plans for consolidation/merger will be scrutinized, making it harder to quietly enact major structural changes without public debate.
Impact on services and jobs. If consolidation or a merger proceeds, there could be significant implications for employees, service delivery, and the management of New York’s critical transportation infrastructure, affecting travelers, workers, and local economies.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Merging Thruway, Bridge Authorities
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
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 Bridge, Thruway Merger
In Assembly Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Kevin Cahill
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1723
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2017
Introduced by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
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.
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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01616-01-7
S. 1723 2
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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
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
Purpose
This legislation directs the New York State Thruway Authority and the New York State Bridge Authority to conduct a joint 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. Furthermore, these Authorities shall also conduct a study to explore the feasibility of a merger of the authorities into a single entity.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 sets forth the intent of the legislation and parameters for such study and report.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Existing law
None.
Justification
This legislation comes after the New York State Thruway Authority announced their 2015-16 budget which included a $36 million deficit. Additionally, it has been reported that this budget deficit could grow to an astonishing $305 million by 2018. This proposal will direct both the New York State Thruway Authority and the New York State Bridge Authority to conduct a study to explore the sharing and consolidation of services and functions in order to reduce each Authorities overall administrative and operational and/or capital costs to avoid future budget deficits.
Legislative history
2015-16: S2340/A4197 - Transportation/Corporations
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.