What's happening
This bill renames the Empire State Trail as the Governor Malcolm Wilson Empire State Trail in all state references.
Why it matters
Renaming the Empire State Trail to honor former Governor Malcolm Wilson not only commemorates his legacy but also associates a major state recreational asset with a specific political figure, potentially increasing public awareness or reshaping the trail's historical narrative.
All legal, promotional, and official references—both existing and future—will require updates to reflect the new name, which could involve considerable administrative effort and costs for state agencies, localities, and organizations involved with the trail.
By embedding the new name into the legal language that governs state bonding and funding mechanisms, the bill ensures that future state investments or promotional campaigns cannot overlook the commemoration, tying the trail’s identity more closely to Governor Wilson in perpetuity.
This kind of renaming legislation can set a precedent for other public infrastructure, highlighting ongoing debates about how the state chooses to honor individuals and the potential impacts—positive or negative—on public engagement, historical memory, and branding of state resources.
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Who cares
State agencies producing trail materials
They would have to use the Governor Malcolm Wilson Empire State Trail name in all state publications, promotional materials and websites.
Empire State Trail users
They would see the trail referred to by its new name in state information and promotional materials.
Dormitory Authority and Urban Development Corporation
The bill would update the trail’s name in the law authorizing bonds and notes for project costs, without changing the financing terms.
Headline styles
Rename Empire State Trail
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred to economic development
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7345
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 25, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. BYRNE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Development
AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in relation to renaming the empire state trail the Governor Malcolm Wilson empire state trail
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The trail currently known as the empire state trail shall be designated and known as the Governor Malcolm Wilson empire state trail and shall be referred to as such in all state publications, promotional materials, and websites.
§ 2. Section 44 of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, as amended by section 37 of part BBB of chapter 59 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
§ 44. Issuance of certain bonds or notes. 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, the dormitory authority and the corporation are hereby authorized to issue bonds or notes in one or more series for the purpose of funding project costs for the regional economic development council initiative, the economic transformation program, state university of New York college for nanoscale and science engineering, projects within the city of Buffalo or surrounding environs, the New York works economic development fund, projects for the retention of professional football in western New York, the empire state economic development fund, the clarkson-trudeau partnership, the New York genome center, the cornell university college of veterinary medicine, the olympic regional development authority, projects at nano Utica, onondaga county revitalization projects, Binghamton university school of pharmacy, New York power electronics manufacturing consortium, regional infrastructure projects, high tech innovation and economic development infrastructure program, high technology manufacturing
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10579-01-9
A. 7345 2
projects in Chautauqua and Erie county, an industrial scale research and development facility in Clinton county, upstate revitalization initiative projects, downstate revitalization initiative, market New York projects, fairground buildings, equipment or facilities used to house and promote agriculture, the state fair, the Governor Malcolm Wilson empire state trail, the moynihan station development project, the Kingsbridge armory project, strategic economic development projects, the cultural, arts and public spaces fund, water infrastructure in the city of Auburn and town of Owasco, a life sciences laboratory public health initiative, not-for-profit pounds, shelters and humane societies, arts and cultural facilities improvement program, restore New York's communities initiative, heavy equipment, economic development and infrastructure projects, Roosevelt Island operating corporation capital projects, and other state costs associated with such projects. The aggregate principal amount of bonds authorized to be issued pursuant to this section shall not exceed eight billion three hundred million five hundred ninety thousand dollars, excluding bonds issued to fund one or more debt service reserve funds, to pay costs of issuance of such bonds, and bonds or notes issued to refund or otherwise repay such bonds or notes previously issued. Such bonds and notes of the dormitory authority and the corporation shall not be a debt of the state, and the state shall not be liable thereon, nor shall they be payable out of any funds other than those appropriated by the state to the dormitory authority and the corporation for principal, interest, and related expenses pursuant to a service contract and such bonds and notes shall contain on the face thereof a statement to such effect. Except for purposes of complying with the internal revenue code, any interest income earned on bond proceeds shall only be used to pay debt service on such bonds.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in order to assist the dormitory authority and the corporation in undertaking the financing for project costs for the regional economic development council initiative, the economic transformation program, state university of New York college for nanoscale and science engineering, projects within the city of Buffalo or surrounding environs, the New York works economic development fund, projects for the retention of professional football in western New York, the empire state economic development fund, the clarkson-trudeau partnership, the New York genome center, the cornell university college of veterinary medicine, the olympic regional development authority, projects at nano Utica, onondaga county revitalization projects, Binghamton university school of pharmacy, New York power electronics manufacturing consortium, regional infrastructure projects, New York State Capital Assistance Program for Transportation, infrastructure, and economic development, high tech innovation and economic development infrastructure program, high technology manufacturing projects in Chautauqua and Erie county, an industrial scale research and development facility in Clinton county, upstate revitalization initiative projects, downstate revitalization initiative, market New York projects, fairground buildings, equipment or facilities used to house and promote agriculture, the state fair, the Governor Malcolm Wilson empire state trail, the moynihan station development project, the Kingsbridge armory project, strategic economic development projects, the cultural, arts and public spaces fund, water infrastructure in the city of Auburn and town of Owasco, a life sciences laboratory public health initiative, not-for-profit pounds, shelters and humane societies, arts and cultural facilities improvement program, restore New York's communities initiative, heavy equipment, economic development and
A. 7345 3
infrastructure projects, Roosevelt Island operating corporation capital projects, and other state costs associated with such projects the director of the budget is hereby authorized to enter into one or more service contracts with the dormitory authority and the corporation, none of which shall exceed thirty years in duration, upon such terms and conditions as the director of the budget and the dormitory authority and the corporation agree, so as to annually provide to the dormitory authority and the corporation, in the aggregate, a sum not to exceed the principal, interest, and related expenses required for such bonds and notes. Any service contract entered into pursuant to this section shall provide that the obligation of the state to pay the amount therein provided shall not constitute a debt of the state within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory provision and shall be deemed executory only to the extent of monies available and that no liability shall be incurred by the state beyond the monies available for such purpose, subject to annual appropriation by the legislature. Any such contract or any payments made or to be made thereunder may be assigned and pledged by the dormitory authority and the corporation as security for its bonds and notes, as authorized by this section.
§ 3. 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.