STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8033
IN SENATE
March 21, 2018
___________
Introduced by Sen. ALCANTARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to establish a commission to be known as the "New York State
Temporary Commission on the Threat of Rising Oceans"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. There is hereby established a temporary commission to be
2 known as the "New York State Temporary Commission on the Threat of
3 Rising Oceans", hereinafter referred to in this act as the "commission".
4 § 2. 1. The commission shall:
5 (a) be composed of 17 members appointed in accordance with subdivision
6 two of this section; and
7 (b) conduct its business in accordance with the provisions of this
8 section.
9 2. The members shall be appointed for the life of the commission as
10 follows:
11 (a) 3 shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
12 (b) 1 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
13 (c) 3 shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly of which one
14 shall be a representative of the Mayor of New York City;
15 (d) 1 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; and
16 (e) 9 shall be appointed by the governor.
17 3. The members of the commission shall be individuals who have know-
18 ledge or expertise, whether by experience or training, in matters to be
19 studied by the commission under subdivision seven of this section. The
20 members may be from the public sector, who may include federal, state,
21 or local officers or employees, members of academia, nonprofit organiza-
22 tions, or other interested individuals or the private sector. The
23 members shall include at least 5 representatives from the city of New
24 York.
25 4. The temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the
26 senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the assembly
27 and the governor shall make his or her respective appointments not later
28 than 30 days after the effective date of this act. Any vacancy that
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15041-01-8
S. 8033 2
1 occurs during the life of the commission shall not affect the powers of
2 the commission and shall be filled in the same manner as the original
3 appointment not later than 30 days after the vacancy occurs.
4 5. The initial meeting of the commission shall be conducted not later
5 than 30 days after the appointment of the last member of the commission.
6 The first act of the commission shall be to select by consensus a chair-
7 person.
8 6. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum to conduct
9 business, but the commission may establish a lesser quorum for conduct-
10 ing hearings scheduled by the commission. Each member shall have 1 vote
11 and the vote of each member shall be accorded the same weight. The
12 commission may establish, by majority vote, any other rules for the
13 conduct of the commission's business, insofar as such rules are not
14 inconsistent with this section or other applicable law.
15 7. The commission shall conduct a comprehensive study on the threat of
16 rising ocean levels.
17 (a) The matters studied by the commission under this subdivision shall
18 include, but not be limited to:
19 (1) the threat of rising oceans on shoreline communities, their
20 infrastructure, and residents;
21 (2) options available to protect New York City and Long Island from
22 rising oceans and provide a cost estimate for such options;
23 (3) options available to protect New York Harbor from rising oceans,
24 including, but not limited to, the building of a sea wall and its asso-
25 ciated costs;
26 (4) international infrastructure in place to protect other regions
27 from rising oceans and provide a comparative description of what other
28 nations have done to address that threat in those regions and at what
29 costs;
30 (5) a review of the federal flood insurance program and provide recom-
31 mendations on how New York State can supplement the program or create a
32 state flood insurance program to address the looming threat of damage to
33 waterfront communities;
34 (6) a review of the current flood zone designations of shoreline and
35 waterfront communities and recommend changes to such designations; and
36 (7) a potential public awareness campaign and associated funding
37 requirement for such outreach to inform residents of impacted communi-
38 ties and those in projected flood zones on how to prepare for pending
39 damage by rising oceans.
40 (b) Not later than March 1, 2019, the commission shall submit to the
41 governor, the senate, and the assembly a comprehensive report on the
42 commission's findings and conclusions. Such report shall address each
43 matter studied by the commission.
44 8. The commission shall have the power to hold hearings, at such sites
45 and to act at such times and places, to take such testimony, and to
46 receive such evidence as the commission considers advisable to carrying
47 out its duties under this subdivision.
48 9. The members of the commission shall not be given any form of
49 compensation and shall be allowed no travel expenses while away from
50 their homes or regular places of business in the performance of service
51 for the commission.
52 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
