Bill Text: NY A09153 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to the composition of the port authority of New York and New Jersey and disclosure of certain information, including conflicts of interest of commissioner candidates and posting minutes of meetings on the authority's website.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-30 - enacting clause stricken [A09153 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A09153-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 9153 I N A S S E M B L Y March 21, 2014 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in relation to the composition of the port authority of New York and New Jersey and disclosure of certain information THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Article XIV of section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 2 relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey is amended to 3 read as follows: 4 ARTICLE XIV. 5 The port authority shall elect from its number a chairman, vice-chair- 6 man, and may appoint such officers and employees as it may require for 7 the performance of its duties, and shall fix and determine their quali- 8 fications and duties. THE DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHALL BE APPOINTED 9 BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. 10 S 2. Article IV of section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 relat- 11 ing to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, as amended by 12 chapter 419 of the laws of 1930, is amended to read as follows: 13 ARTICLE IV 14 1. The port authority shall consist of twelve commissioners, six resi- 15 dent voters from the state of New York, at least four of whom shall be 16 resident voters of the city of New York, and six resident voters from 17 the state of New Jersey, at least four of whom shall be resident voters 18 within the New Jersey portion of the district, the New York members to 19 be chosen by the state of New York and the New Jersey members by the 20 state of New Jersey FOR ONE TERM OF FIVE YEARS in the manner [and for 21 the terms fixed and] determined [from time to time] by the legislature 22 of each state respectively, except as herein provided. EACH COMMISSIONER 23 SHALL BE APPOINTED ON THE BASIS OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND 24 KNOWLEDGE OF THE PORT AUTHORITY. Each commissioner may be removed or 25 suspended from office as provided by the law of the state from which he 26 shall be appointed. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14130-01-4 A. 9153 2 1 2. PRIOR TO THE APPOINTMENT OF A COMMISSIONER, ALL POTENTIAL CONFLICTS 2 OF INTEREST SHALL BE POSTED ON THE AUTHORITY'S WEBSITE AT LEAST ONE 3 MONTH PRIOR TO A CANDIDATE'S APPOINTMENT OR TWO WEEKS IF FILLING A 4 VACANCY. CONFLICTS SHALL BE PRESENTED TO THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT AND 5 MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER AND MINORITY LEADER OF THE 6 ASSEMBLY, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE AND THE 7 CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK AND 8 THE PRESIDENT, MINORITY LEADER AND SECRETARY OF THE SENATE AND THE 9 SPEAKER, MINORITY LEADER AND CLERK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE 10 OF NEW JERSEY. 11 S 3. Article VII-A of section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 12 relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, as added by 13 chapter 33 of the laws of 1987, is amended to read as follows: 14 ARTICLE VII-A 15 1. The port authority shall file with the temporary president and 16 minority leader of the senate and the speaker and minority leader of the 17 assembly, the chairman of the assembly ways and means committee and the 18 chairman of the senate finance committee of the state of New York and 19 the president, minority leader and secretary of the senate and the 20 speaker, minority leader and clerk of the general assembly of the state 21 of New Jersey a copy of the minutes of any action taken at any public 22 meeting of the port authority. Such filing shall be made on the same day 23 such minutes are transmitted to the governor of each state for review; 24 and notice of such filing shall be provided to the governor of each 25 state at the same time. Failure to effectuate any such filing shall not 26 impair the ability of the authority to act pursuant to a resolution of 27 its board. Such filing shall not apply to any minutes required to be 28 filed pursuant to section twenty of chapter six hundred fifty-one of the 29 laws of nineteen hundred seventy-eight. 30 2. The temporary president and minority leader of the senate, the 31 speaker and minority leader of the assembly, the chairman of the assem- 32 bly ways and means committee and the chairman of the senate finance 33 committee of the state of New York and the speaker and minority leader 34 of the general assembly and the president and the minority leader of the 35 senate of the state of New Jersey, or representatives designated by them 36 in writing for this purpose, may by certificate filed with the secretary 37 of the port authority waive the foregoing filing requirement with 38 respect to any specific minutes. 39 3. A COPY OF THE MINUTES OF ANY ACTION TAKEN AT ANY PUBLIC MEETING OF 40 THE PORT AUTHORITY SHALL BE POSTED ON THE AUTHORITY'S WEBSITE ON THE 41 SAME DAY SUCH MINUTES ARE TRANSMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE OF 42 THE STATE OF NEW YORK AND THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. 43 S 4. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- 44 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of 45 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, 46 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in 47 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section 48 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg- 49 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of 50 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such 51 invalid provisions had not been included herein. 52 S 5. This act shall take effect upon the enactment into law by the 53 state of New Jersey of legislation having an identical effect with this 54 act, but if the state of New Jersey shall have already enacted such 55 legislation this act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, 56 that the amendments to article VII-A of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 A. 9153 3 1 made by section three of this act shall take effect on the same date and 2 in the same manner as section 1 of chapter 33 of the laws of 1987, takes 3 effect. The chairman of the port authority shall notify the legislative 4 bill drafting commission upon the enactment into law of such legislation 5 by both such states in order that the commission may maintain an accu- 6 rate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of 7 the state of New York in furtherance of effecting the provision of 8 section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public offi- 9 cers law.