• extending the due date for real property tax payments to January 2, 2002 for victims' families, relief workers and property owners in the World Trade Center disaster area;
• making individuals who perished in the disaster eligible for a 2000 and 2001 state income tax exemption;
• expanding the state's enhanced STAR (School Tax Relief program) exemption on real property taxes and the New York City personal income tax STAR credit for rescue workers; and
• creating a new partial property-tax exemption, at local option, to provide county, city, town and village tax relief for victims of the attacks; and
• providing a new tax credit to any individual displaced because of the attack equal to the total cost of a hotel room the individual occupied.

• grants and low-cost loans to assist businesses adversely affected by the disaster in temporarily relocating within New York City;
• grants and low-cost loans to businesses that suffered limited non-structural damage but are in need of renovation in order to continue their operations; and
• worker training grants to companies forced to hire new employees to replace those lost in the tragedy.

1. Public Employee Benefits
   This bill would continue the salary of the deceased public employee to the surviving spouse until he or she remarries, or if no spouse, the surviving children until they reach age 19 (23 if a full time student).
   This bill would also allow the surviving spouse to continue the health benefits available from the state or city (state employees already have this benefit in the event of accidental death).
   In addition the bill provides for a 3/4 disability pension to any state or city employee who sustained a disabling injury in the WTC tragedy, should such injury require the employee to retire prematurely. It also authorizes a supplemental death benefit in a lump sum equal to the final annual salary of the deceased employee over and above any other pension benefits to which the family is entitled.

2. Real Property Tax Bills
   Extends deadline for payments (including installments) to January 2, 2002 for victims of the attack, relief workers and property owners in the World Trade Center disaster area. This will mirror the changes that were made under Executive Order by the Governor.

3. National Guard Benefits
   A. 1693 (Tocci) would guarantee that an individual called to New York State National Guard or military reserve active duty will be offered the same job upon return from active duty that he or she held in the private sector before being activated.
   A. 1489 (Tocci) would double from 30 to 60 days the amount of paid military leave a public employee may receive in addition to the amount authorized by his or her state employment contract.

4. Family Benefits
   Creation of Memorial Awards for survivors of the attack as well as children, spouses and dependents of victims of the attack. Awards would cover the cost of tuition, fees, and room and board for up to five years of undergraduate study at the SUNY and CUNY, and would also be applicable to private colleges in the State.
   The Assembly also recognizes the need to address unforeseen demands placed on the New York family due to this tragedy especially in regard to childcare.

5. Waive UI payment deadlines and experience rating
   • Waive statutory four-day waiting period for victims normally required to receive benefits.

   • Waive four-day waiting period for claimants whose employment in the airline, restaurant, hotel or tourism industry was terminated as a result of the attack.

   • Do not charge employers directly affected their individual unemployment insurance tax accounts. (experience rating)

   • Change State Disability Insurance Law so employees injured by an act of terrorism can receive weekly benefit payments.

6. Workers' Compensation Benefits
   • Provide workers' compensation for Ground Zero volunteers.

   • Institute a rebuttal presumption for employees due benefits from the Uninsured Employer Fund, that they did work for their employer.

7. RPT/STAR Benefit
   This proposal would provide an enhanced STAR exemption for real property taxes and an enhanced NYC personal income tax credit for rescue workers who assisted in the relief efforts responding to the terrorist attacks.

8. COBRA
   This would establish the New York Continuation Assistance Program. Under this program persons who have lost their job as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center or, their survivors would be eligible for a payment of 50% of the monthly COBRA premium.
   The second bill is intended to address COBRA continuation in situations where, as a result of the attack, a business/employer no longer exists. This bill would require health plans to meet their obligations under the COBRA statutes as if the business still existed and allow the employee or survivor to access continuation group health insurance benefits.

9. RPT Exemption for Victims
   This would provide a new property tax exemption against county, city, town and village taxes for victims of the attack.

10. Tax Filing Deadlines
    This proposal would increase the amount of time in which the Commissioner of Taxation & Finance may extend tax filing deadlines from 90 days to 6 months and would give the Commissioner of New York City Finance similar power.

11. Income Tax Exemption for Victims
    This would exempt income from persons who perished in the attack from the personal income tax for tax years 2000 and 2001.

12. Tax Credit for Hotel Rooms
    Provide a tax credit to any individual who was temporarily displaced. The credit would be equal the total cost of the hotel room occupied by the displaced individual.

13. Accelerated Refunds for Income Tax Paid by Deceased Persons
    Allow survivors who present a death certificate to get an expedited refund of State income taxes paid, instead of waiting for the normal April 15th deadline.

1. Memorial Commission
   Establish State/City commission with extensive public involvement to commemorate those who died in the terrorist attack and to honor the heroic efforts of New Yorkers assisting the victims. This commission will act in cooperation with the development authority. (See attachment.)

2. New York Resurgence Authority
   Creates State/City authority with broad powers to plan, coordinate and finance efforts to rebuild the area devastated by the attack on the World Trade Center. (See attachment.)

3. Rebuilding New York; Long-Term Assistance
   Would provide for tax credits at the site of the destruction and the remainder of lower Manhattan. (See attachment.)
   COMMISSION TO PLAN VICTIMS' MEMORIAL
   Twenty-One Members, appointed by:

   Chair of Lower Manhattan Resurgence Authority
        (Chair of Commission)
   Governor (6) (includes 2 survivors of the September 11 attack or family members of victims of the attack and 2 representatives of police or firefighters who responded to the attack)
   Mayor (6) (includes 2 survivors of the September 11 attack or family members of victims of the attack and 2 representatives of police or firefighters who responded to the attack)
   Speaker of the Assembly (1) and President Pro tem of the Senate (1);
   Speaker of the city council of New York City (1);
   Comptroller of New York City (1)
   Commissioner of the Office of General Services
   Director of the State Emergency Management Office
   Director of the Office of Emergency Management of New York City
   Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction of New York City
   

   Purpose
   Plan and design a memorial to honor New Yorkers who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack and the firefighters, police, national guard, emergency personnel, and others who came to the aid of the victims of the attack.
   • Process to include opportunities for public input, including solicitation of suggestions from survivors and families of victims

   • Commission will deliver a final report with recommendations to the Lower Manhattan Resurgence Authority, the legislature, and the governor within one year of act's effective date

The Commission will coordinate its activities with the Lower Manhattan Resurgence Authority; the Chair of Authority is also chair of the Memorial Commission

Chair appointed jointly by Governor and Mayor
Governor (3)
Mayor (3)
New York State Comptroller (1)
Speaker of the Assembly (1)
President Pro tem of the Senate (1)
City Council (1)
City Comptroller (1)
Borough of Manhattan President (1)

(Governor's and Mayor's appointees to include representation from business, organized labor and the local community)

Port Authority NYNJ
Battery Park City Authority
Metropolitan Transit Authority
Chancellor of the City school district of the City of New York

Develop master plan for lower Manhattan resurgence

• Planning for memorial and integration into overall plan (process to include major opportunities for public input; specifically, memorial planning requires solicitation of suggestions from families of victims)
• International markets and finance function and support services
• Retail, goods, services, restaurants, groceries, dry cleaners, etc.
• Tourism, hotels, conventions, etc.
• Enhanced residential opportunities
• Public uses: schools, hospitals, churches, transportation centers, etc.
• Plans to integrate improved security for the Lower Manhattan area

Act to provide incentives to encourage companies to remain in Lower Manhattan both temporarily and permanently; coordinate with Economic Development package

Assist reconstruction of utility infrastructure (master plan should call for reliable supply of electricity, state-of-the-art communication infrastructure, "green" buildings, etc.)

Provide training, education and internship programs to enhance the skill-set of the available workforce for the financial markets

Receive and distribute federal, state, and private funds

Facilitate federal and state programs to assist impacted businesses

Community development bank, especially for small businesses

Bond funds to be known as "Rebuild New York" bonds, to be available in large and small denominations (Need to request that Congress pass and the President sign legislation to provide that any bonds issued by a New York State entity devoted to rebuilding the area devastated by the terrorist act not be considered private activity bonds and that interest on all such bonds be exempt from federal income tax)

Tax relief -- coordinate with Economic Development package

Eminent domain power - limited to situations where original owners are unwilling or unable to cooperate

Limited duration (consistent with Economic Development package) proposal includes 10 year life for all activities except paying off obligations

Applicability of contracting rules (e.g. MWBE, prevailing wage, project labor agreements)

Rebuilding New York

Relocation Assistance

• provide assistance in the form of grants and low-cost loans to businesses that have been adversely effected by the disaster to assist in their temporary relocation to other locations in New York City;

• provide grants and low-cost loans to businesses that suffered limited, non-structural damage but are in need of renovation in order to continue their operations;

• provide worker-training grants to companies who are forced to hire new employees to replace those lost in the tragedy;

• assist the City of New York (through the New York Industrial Retention Network) to inventory existing commercial, retail, and industrial space to identify temporary quarters for businesses unable to continue at present in their current locations;

This program will build upon the State's current Empire Zone Program by creating two new zones, which will encompass Lower Manhattan.

Businesses located in the Liberty Zone or Resurgence Zone will receive modified Empire Zone benefits. Businesses have 10 years to enter the program. Businesses will receive the benefits for 10 years, after which the benefits will be phased-out 20 percent annually, under the taxes on business income. The Zone benefits include:

Business Tax Credit for Job Creation
• If a company increases its employment by 1%, it receives a credit for 1% of the State tax on income earned within the Liberty or Resurgence Zone.

• Larger increases in employment result in larger credits.

• Increasing employment by 100% means that no tax is paid on Zone income, making the income effectively "TAX-FREE".
  Sales Tax Exemption for Job Maintenance

• Businesses located within the Liberty Zone and Resurgence Zone will be exempt from paying State sales tax on goods and services consumed or used within these Zones.

• New York City will have the option to exempt the local portion of the sales tax.

Provide a tax credit for any business located in Ground Zero that relocates and retains its employees within New York City. This one-time credit will be equal to $1,000 per employee relocated and retained in the City.

Provide a Sales Tax exemption to any business located in or relocating from Ground Zero for the replacement of destroyed equipment. The exemption would only apply to equipment not covered by insurance.

Provide an exemption from State and New York City transaction taxes for new property purchased or leased by a business that relocated from Ground Zero to another location within New York City. The exemptions would be provided under the State and City's Real Estate Transfer Tax and the Mortgage Recording Tax. The State would reimburse the City for any lost revenues associated with the exemption.

Authorize an additional $50 million in tax credits for companies that make new investments in Lower Manhattan through the Certified Capital Company Program (CAPCO).