STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 11240 IN ASSEMBLY June 16, 2018 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Englebright) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conserva- tion AN ACT establishing the Adirondack Park forest preserve study commission to examine land-management practices for certain classifications of state forest preserve lands; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Adirondack Park forest preserve study commission. 1. There 2 is hereby established, within the department of environmental conserva- 3 tion, a forest preserve study commission ("commission") which shall 4 consist of thirteen members who shall be appointed as follows: 5 (a) The commissioner of environmental conservation, or his or her 6 designee; 7 (b) The commissioner of the office of general services, or his or her 8 designee; 9 (c) The chair of the Adirondack park agency, or his or her designee; 10 (d) Two members to be appointed by the governor; 11 (e) Three members to be appointed by the temporary president of the 12 senate; 13 (f) Three members to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; 14 (g) One member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 15 and 16 (h) One member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. 17 2. The at-large members shall include residents of a municipality 18 within the Adirondack Park, elected officials from a municipality within 19 the Adirondack Park, and representatives of organizations whose prime 20 function is the protection of natural resources within the Adirondack 21 Park. 22 3. Commission members shall receive no compensation for their services 23 but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in 24 the performance of their duties. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD16333-01-8A. 11240 2 1 4. The chairperson of the commission shall be the commissioner of 2 environmental conservation, or his or her designee. The commission shall 3 meet no less than four times and at other times at the call of the 4 chairperson and any such meetings shall be subject to the open meetings 5 law. 6 5. Any vacancies on the commission shall be filled in the manner 7 provided for in the initial appointment. 8 6. The commission shall be authorized to hold public hearings and 9 meetings to enable it to accomplish its duties. 10 7. The commission may consult with any organization, educational 11 institution, other government entity or agency in the development of its 12 report required by subdivision ten of this section. 13 8. The department of environmental conservation shall provide the 14 commission with such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the 15 commission to carry out its powers and duties. Additionally, all other 16 agencies of the state or political subdivisions thereof may, at the 17 request of the chairperson, provide the commission with such facilities, 18 assistance, and data as will enable the commission to carry out its 19 powers and duties. 20 9. The purpose of the commission shall be to examine existing land-use 21 management practices for certain classifications of state forest 22 preserve lands, to identify problematic human modified or altered sites, 23 roads, built structures, or infrastructure that needs rehabilitation, 24 remediation, or removal to become more in keeping with the constitu- 25 tional purposes of the Adirondack Park. 26 10. (a) No later than December 31, 2020, the commission shall transmit 27 to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker 28 of the assembly a report providing an inventory and property-specific 29 description of forest preserve lands: 30 (i) classified as state administrative that contain existing build- 31 ings; 32 (ii) with buildings listed on the national register of historic places 33 and any buildings constructed prior to 1968; and 34 (iii) currently without a state land master plan classification, and a 35 description of any buildings on such land. 36 (b) The report shall provide the following for the properties identi- 37 fied pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision: 38 (i) the status of any unit management plan; 39 (ii) a map of the management units delineating the boundaries of the 40 properties; 41 (iii) an inventory of natural resources, including plants, fish and 42 wildlife, water resources, wetlands, soils, and rare, threatened and 43 endangered species and historic and archeological resources; and 44 (iv) an inventory of existing infrastructure, including structures, 45 roads, trails, and other man-made features. 46 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 47 deemed repealed January 1, 2021.