STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5925
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
August 21, 2013
___________
Introduced by Sen. GRISANTI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT authorizing the creation of a state debt to the amount of five
billion dollars, in relation to creating the clean water/clean
air/green jobs bond act of 2014, to provide moneys for the preserva-
tion, enhancement, restoration, and improvement of the state's envi-
ronment, to provide for state assistance payments for such purpose,
and providing for the submission to the people of a proposition or
question therefor to be voted upon at the general election in November
2014
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The clean water/clean air/green jobs bond act of 2014 is
2 enacted to read as follows:
3 CLEAN WATER/CLEAN AIR/GREEN JOBS BOND ACT OF 2014
4 Section 1. Short title.
5 2. Creation of a state debt.
6 3. Bonds of the state.
7 4. Use of moneys received.
8 § 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the
9 "clean water/clean air/green jobs bond act of 2014".
10 § 2. Creation of a state debt. The creation of a state debt to an
11 amount not exceeding in the aggregate five billion dollars
12 ($5,000,000,000) is hereby authorized to provide moneys for the single
13 purpose of preserving, enhancing, restoring, and improving the quality
14 of the state's environment by the accomplishment of projects and the
15 funding of activities by state agencies, public authorities and public
16 benefit corporations, municipalities, and other governmental entities
17 and not-for-profit corporations for and related to protecting, improv-
18 ing, and enhancing the quality of drinking water and enhancement of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11639-01-3
S. 5925 2
1 water bodies; by providing funds for open space, farmland protection,
2 habitat restoration, climate change adaptation, water quality related
3 research and development and for parks; for repairing, replacing and
4 updating municipal wastewater and drinking water infrastructure; for
5 preserving, enhancing, restoring and maintaining the quality of the air;
6 for restoring and improving contaminated areas and returning those to
7 productive use; for improving environmental health; for protection and
8 pollution prevention projects in urban communities, community gardens
9 and greenways.
10 The legislature may, by appropriate legislation and subject to such
11 conditions as it may impose, make available out of the proceeds of the
12 sale of bonds authorized in this section, moneys disbursed or to be
13 disbursed for state programs or state assistance payments toward the
14 cost of such programs undertaken by or through a state or local public
15 authority or public benefit corporation, not-for-profit corporation,
16 county, city, town, village, school district, supervisory district,
17 district corporation, improvement district within a county, city, town,
18 village, or Indian tribe residing in whole or in part within New York
19 state, or any combination thereof, for the purpose of preserving,
20 enhancing, restoring, and improving the quality of the state's environ-
21 ment and natural resources.
22 § 3. Bonds of the state. The state comptroller is hereby authorized
23 and empowered to issue and sell bonds of the state to the amount of five
24 billion dollars ($5,000,000,000) for the purpose of this act, subject to
25 the provisions of article 5 of the state finance law. The aggregate
26 principal amount of such bonds shall not exceed five billion dollars
27 excluding bonds issued to refund or otherwise repay bonds theretofore
28 issued for such purpose; provided, however, that upon any such refunding
29 or repayment the total aggregate principal amount of outstanding bonds
30 may be greater than five billion dollars only if the present value of
31 the aggregate debt service of the refunding or repayment bonds to be
32 issued shall not exceed the present value of the aggregate debt service
33 of the bonds to be refunded or repaid. The method for calculating pres-
34 ent value shall be determined by law.
35 § 4. Use of moneys received. The moneys received by the state from the
36 sale of bonds sold pursuant to this act shall be expended pursuant to
37 appropriations in the following amount:
38 a. For clean water through the protection of the state's watersheds
39 and natural resources; drinking water supply protection and flood
40 control projects, including the protection of open space, farmland
41 protection, habitat restoration, flood prevention, climate change adap-
42 tation, water quality related research and development, water quality
43 restoration projects and for state and municipal parks, two billion
44 dollars ($2,000,000,000).
45 b. For clean water infrastructure including repairing, replacing, and
46 updating New York's municipal wastewater infrastructure, septic systems
47 and drinking water supply systems, two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000).
48 c. For improving air quality, environmental health and community
49 restoration, including the use of green infrastructure, protection and
50 pollution prevention projects in urban communities, restoring and
51 improving contaminated areas and returning those to productive use,
52 improving environmental health, community gardens and greenways, one
53 billion dollars ($1,000,000,000).
54 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that the
55 provisions of section one of this act shall not take effect unless and
56 until this act shall have been submitted to the people at the general
S. 5925 3
1 election to be held in November 2014, and shall have been approved by a
2 majority of all votes cast for and against it at such election. Upon
3 approval by the people, section one of this act shall take effect imme-
4 diately. The ballots to be furnished for the use of voters upon
5 submission of this act shall be in the form prescribed by the election
6 law and the proposition or question to be submitted shall be printed
7 thereon in substantially the following form, namely, "Shall chapter
8 (here insert the number of the chapter) of the laws of 2014 known as the
9 clean water/clean air/green jobs bond act of 2014, authorizing the
10 creation of state debt to provide moneys for the preservation, enhance-
11 ment, restoration, and improvement of the quality of the state's envi-
12 ronment and natural resources, promote energy efficiency and energy
13 security; and invest in the creation of clean and green jobs in the
14 amount of five billion dollars be approved?".
