Establishes the upstate cities preparedness and resiliency fund which shall distribute grants to upstate cities for projects which demonstrate measurable improvements in preparedness, resilience or emergency coordination.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9612
IN ASSEMBLY
January 21, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BURKE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the
upstate cities preparedness and resiliency fund; making an appropri-
ation therefor; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon
expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section
2 99-uu to read as follows:
3 § 99-uu. Upstate cities preparedness and resiliency fund. 1. For the
4 purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following
5 meanings:
6 (a) "major upstate cities" shall mean cities with a population of more
7 than one hundred twenty-five thousand and less than one million.
8 (b) "mid-sized upstate cities" shall mean cities with a population of
9 more than twenty-five thousand and less than or equal to one hundred
10 twenty-five thousand.
11 (c) "small upstate cities" shall mean cities with a population of
12 twenty-five thousand or less.
13 (d) "population" shall mean the population of a city according to the
14 United States census bureau's two thousand twenty-three American commu-
15 nity survey one-year estimates.
16 2. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the commission-
17 er of taxation and finance and the state comptroller a special fund to
18 be known as the "upstate cities preparedness and resiliency fund".
19 3. Such fund shall consist of all moneys appropriated thereto and all
20 other moneys credited or transferred thereto from any other fund or
21 source pursuant to law. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent
22 the state from receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of
23 the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into the fund
24 according to law.
25 4. The fund shall be governed and administered by the comptroller.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14013-02-6
A. 9612 2
1 5. The moneys in such fund shall be awarded in the form of grants by
2 the comptroller to support cities in counties other than Rockland, West-
3 chester, Bronx, New York, Richmond, Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk
4 that face recurring fiscal stress and operational challenges caused by
5 extreme winter weather, aging infrastructure, high poverty rates, and a
6 large share of tax-exempt property that limits local revenue capacity.
7 Such grants shall be used for emergency preparedness, response and resi-
8 lience measures. Eligible uses may include, but shall not be limited
9 to: emergency operations and communications improvements, hazard miti-
10 gation and resilience planning, stormwater, culvert or winter weather
11 resilience improvements, equipment and fleet winterization, infrastruc-
12 ture improvements.
13 6. Grants awarded under this section shall be distributed:
14 (a) within ninety days of the effective date of this section to major
15 upstate cities in an amount equal to eighty million on a per-capita
16 basis according to the most recent census.
17 (b) within two years of the effective date of this section to mid-
18 sized upstate cities under a competitive grant program which shall be
19 administered by the division of homeland security and emergency
20 services, in collaboration with the senate committee on cities and the
21 assembly committee on cities, for projects which demonstrate measurable
22 improvements in preparedness, resilience or emergency coordination. A
23 competitive grant awarded under this section to a mid-sized upstate city
24 shall be between five hundred thousand and three million dollars.
25 (c) within two years of the effective date of this section to small
26 upstate cities under a competitive grant program which is to be adminis-
27 tered by the division of homeland security and emergency services, in
28 collaboration with the senate committee on cities and the assembly
29 committee on cities, for projects which demonstrate measurable improve-
30 ments in preparedness, resilience or emergency coordination. A compet-
31 itive grant awarded under this section to a small upstate city shall be
32 between fifty thousand and two hundred fifty thousand dollars.
33 7. Moneys shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of
34 the comptroller, disbursed as advances, progress payments, reimburse-
35 ments, or a combination thereof on vouchers approved and certified by
36 the division of homeland security and emergency services.
37 § 2. The sum of one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000), or so much
38 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated from any moneys in
39 the state treasury in the general fund not otherwise appropriated to the
40 credit of the upstate cities preparedness and resiliency fund as estab-
41 lished under section 99-uu of the state finance law for the purposes of
42 granting awards and carrying out the provisions of this act. Such sum
43 shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on
44 vouchers certified or approved in the manner provided by law.
45 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
46 deemed repealed three years after such effective date.
