What's happening
This bill authorizes Broome County to impose additional surcharges on telecommunications services to fund enhanced 911 emergency system upgrades for ten years.
Why it matters
Directs new funding specifically to updating and maintaining Broome County’s emergency 911 system, potentially resulting in faster response times and improved public safety.
Allows Broome County to set a local surcharge of up to $1.30 per month on each landline, and an additional $1.10 per month on each wireless device or prepaid wireless sale, increasing the cost burden on consumers and businesses using these services.
Exempts lifeline (low-income) customers, public safety agencies, and municipalities from the new surcharges, aiming to protect vulnerable groups and essential services from added costs.
Limits the surcharge to no more than 75 access lines per customer per location, meaning large organizations won’t face unlimited fees, which could help local employers and institutions manage costs.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Broome 911 Surcharge Increase
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by A6546
- Ordered to third reading cal.1549
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to local government
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.
Broome 911 Surcharge Increase
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Donna Lupardo
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4392
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. AKSHAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
AN ACT to amend the county law and the tax law, in relation to authorizing the county of Broome to impose an additional surcharge to pay for the costs associated with updating the telecommunication equipment and telephone services needed to provide an enhanced 911 emergency telephone system to serve such county; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The county law is amended by adding a new section 336 to read as follows:
§ 336. County of Broome enhanced 911 emergency telephone system. 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, the county of Broome acting through its local county legislative body, is hereby authorized and empowered to adopt, amend or repeal local laws to impose a surcharge, in addition to the surcharge established and imposed under section three hundred three of this chapter, in an amount not to exceed one dollar and thirty cents per access line per month on the customers of every service supplier within such municipality to pay for the costs associated with obtaining, operating and maintaining the telecommunication equipment and telephone services needed to provide an enhanced 911 (E911) emergency telephone system to serve such county.
2. Any such local law shall state the amount of the surcharge, the date on which the service supplier shall begin to add such surcharge to the billings of its customers and, to the extent practicable, the date on which such E911 service is to begin. Such local law may authorize the service supplier to begin billing its customers for such surcharge prior to the date the E911 system service is to begin.
3. Any service supplier within a municipality which has imposed a surcharge pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be given a
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09745-02-9
S. 4392 2
minimum of forty-five days written notice prior to the date it shall begin to add such surcharge to the billings of its customers or prior to any modification to or change in the surcharge amount.
4. The surcharge established pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be imposed on a per access line basis on all current bills rendered for local exchange access service within the 911 service area.
5. No such surcharge shall be imposed upon more than seventy-five exchange access lines per customer per location.
6. Lifeline customers, a public safety agency and any municipality which has enacted a local law pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be exempt from any surcharge imposed under this section.
§ 2. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 2 of section 186-g of the tax law, as added by section 3 of part EEE of chapter 59 of the laws of 2017, are amended to read as follows:
(b) Such surcharge on wireless communications service provided to a wireless communications customer with a place of primary use in a city or county authorized to impose the surcharge by this subdivision shall be imposed at the rate of thirty cents per month on each wireless communications device in service during any part of the month; provided, however, that the county of Broome may impose an additional surcharge at the rate of one dollar and ten cents per month. The surcharge must be reflected and made payable on bills rendered to the wireless communications customer for wireless communications service.
(c) Such surcharge on the retail sale of each prepaid wireless communications service, whether or not any tangible personal property is sold therewith, shall be imposed at the rate of thirty cents per retail sale within a city or county authorized to impose the surcharge by this subdivision; provided, however, that the county of Broome may impose an additional surcharge at the rate of one dollar and ten cents per retail sale. A sale of a prepaid wireless communications service occurs in such city or county if the sale takes place at a seller's business location in such city or county. If the sale does not take place at the seller's place of business, it shall be conclusively determined to take place at the purchaser's shipping address in such city or county or, if there is no item shipped, at the purchaser's billing address in such city or county, or, if the seller does not have that address, at such address that reasonably reflects the customer's location at the time of the sale of the prepaid wireless communications service.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed ten years after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the county law and the tax law, in relation to authorizing the county of Broome to impose an additional surcharge to pay for the costs associated with updating the telecommuni- cation equipment and telephone services needed to provide an enhanced 911 emergency telephone system to serve such county; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of the bill is to impose an additional surcharge on wireless communications and landline services to fund the county's Public Safety Radio Capital project. This legislation is at the request of Broome County.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Section 303 of the county law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4. Section 2: Establishes the effect date.
Justification
Broome County has requested home rule legislation to impose a surcharge on wireless communications and landline services to fund the County's Public Safety Radio Capital project. Currently, Broome County's emergen- cy communication systems consists of 12 different radio systems and are outdated and many of the systems have not been updated since the 1970's. The use of outdated equipment has lead to gaps in coverage, which has resulted in first responders not being able to communicate during times of emergency.
The County's Public Safety Radio Capital project will address issues of outdated technology with new radios and radio towers that will allow emergency personnel to better communicate with dispatch and one another.
Prior legislative history
This is new legislation.
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
This legislation will have no fiscal implications for State. The funds raised by the surcharge will be used by the County for upgrades to its emergency communications systems.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and be deemed repealed ten years after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.