Increases the membership of the central New York regional transportation authority from twelve to sixteen members; amends provisions related to such authority's membership.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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8439
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 11, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to the central
New York regional transportation authority
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 and subdivision 2 of section
2 1328 of the public authorities law, paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 as
3 amended by chapter 44 of the laws of 2023, and subdivision 2 as added by
4 chapter 714 of the laws of 1970, are amended to read as follows:
5 (a) There is hereby created the central New York regional transporta-
6 tion authority. The authority shall be a body corporate and politic
7 constituting a public benefit corporation. It shall consist of not more
8 than [twelve] sixteen members, including a [chairman] chair and shall
9 have one non-voting member, who does not count towards the maximum of
10 sixteen, as described in paragraph (b) of this subdivision. At least one
11 voting member shall be a transit dependent individual who shall be
12 appointed by the governor. If a vacancy occurs for such transit depend-
13 ent individual member position, a replacement shall be appointed within
14 six months, subject to the same appointment process within this para-
15 graph. The members shall be appointed by the governor by and with the
16 advice and consent of the senate. The governor shall make initial
17 appointments to the authority in such number and from lists submitted as
18 follows: three members shall be appointed to the authority from a list
19 of not less than six names, submitted to the governor by the common
20 council of the city of Syracuse, five members from a list of not less
21 than ten names, submitted by the legislature of the county of Onondaga
22 and two members shall be appointed from a list of not less than four
23 names submitted by the legislature of the county of Oneida. Other coun-
24 ties electing to participate shall each submit to the governor a list of
25 not less than two persons [for each one hundred thousand or major frac-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11126-02-5
S. 8439 2
1 tion of the total population, as determined by the nineteen hundred
2 seventy or any subsequent federal decennial or federal county-wide
3 special census, of the counties outside the county of Onondaga which
4 shall elect to participate, from which number the governor shall appoint
5 one member for each one hundred thousand or major fraction of the total
6 population, as determined by such federal decennial or federal county-
7 wide special census, with a maximum of three members to represent such
8 counties outside the county of Onondaga so electing to participate] and
9 the governor shall appoint one member for each such county, including
10 Oswego, Cayuga, and Cortland counties as well as any other counties that
11 may elect to participate. In addition to the members specified above,
12 the governor shall appoint a transit dependent individual as a voting
13 member who resides within a county within the district. Any local or
14 statewide transit advocacy organization may recommend one or more trans-
15 it dependent individuals to be considered for appointment pursuant to
16 this section.
17 2. The members of the authority shall continue in office until their
18 successors are appointed and shall have qualified. One member recom-
19 mended by the common council of the city of Syracuse and one member
20 recommended by the legislature of the county of Onondaga shall be
21 appointed for terms ending July thirty-first, nineteen hundred seventy-
22 five; one member recommended by the common council of the city of Syra-
23 cuse and two members recommended by the legislature of the county of
24 Onondaga shall be appointed for terms ending July thirty-first, nineteen
25 hundred seventy-six; and one member recommended by the common council of
26 the city of Syracuse and two members recommended by the legislature of
27 the county of Onondaga shall be appointed for terms ending July thirty-
28 first, nineteen hundred seventy-seven. The member (or members) who is
29 (or are) recommended by the other county legislatures or board of super-
30 visors shall be appointed for a term (or terms) of seven years, but all
31 terminating on the thirty-first day of July of the seventh year. There-
32 after, upon expiration of the term of a member of the authority a
33 successor shall be appointed by the governor for a term expiring seven
34 years after the expiration of the term of [his] such member's predeces-
35 sor. If a member continues in office after the expiration of a term
36 because no successor is appointed, such member shall continue in office
37 until the conclusion of another seven year term or until a successor is
38 appointed to serve the remainder of that term, whichever occurs earlier.
39 If a vacancy shall occur by reason of death, disqualification, resigna-
40 tion or removal of a member, the successor shall be appointed by the
41 governor for the unexpired term, or if no successor is appointed during
42 the unexpired term then upon expiration of that term the sequence of
43 successive seven year terms shall continue and, when a successor is
44 appointed, the successor shall be appointed for the remainder of the
45 unexpired term then in effect. Persons succeeding members recommended by
46 the appropriate legislative bodies of the city of Syracuse and the coun-
47 ties of Onondaga and Oneida on the authority shall be appointed by the
48 same procedure as the original appointments. The same procedure shall be
49 followed for the filling of vacancies of members appointed from other
50 counties. Members of the authority shall, before entering upon the
51 duties of their office, take the constitutional oath of office and file
52 the same in the office of the secretary of state.
53 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to
54 have been in full force and effect on and after March 31, 2025.
