Bill Text: NY S00424 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the New York state thruway authority to establish an electronic toll collection device for motor vehicles used by farms which grants a discount for use of the thruway.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S00424 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00424-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           424

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. HINCHEY, GALLIVAN -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to directing the
          New  York  state  thruway authority to establish a farm E-Z Pass which
          grants discounted tolls for certain motor  vehicles  used  by  persons
          engaged in agricultural production

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The public authorities law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  section 378-b to read as follows:
     3    §  378-b.  Farm  E-Z  Pass. 1. The authority shall establish and issue
     4  electronic toll collection devices to provide a discount  on  tolls  for
     5  motor  vehicles  that are owned and operated by a farm or farmer and are
     6  used exclusively  for  the  transportation  of  qualifying  agricultural
     7  products,  and  the  farm or farmer would benefit from a toll collection
     8  discount due to financial  hardship.  Qualifying  agricultural  products
     9  include those consisting of crops, livestock and livestock products,  as
    10  defined    in   subdivision   two   of section  three hundred one of the
    11  agriculture and markets law.  For the purposes of  this  section,  motor
    12  vehicles  may  include passenger cars, vans, pickups, buses, single-unit
    13  trucks, single-trailer trucks having two or more  axles,  or  any  other
    14  vehicle  the  authority  deems  to  be of equivalent size and purpose to
    15  qualify for the program.   The use of such  electronic  toll  collection
    16  devices  shall  provide a discount on the toll otherwise imposed for the
    17  use of the thruway system, or any portion thereof, by the motor  vehicle
    18  to  which  the  device is affixed.   Each motor vehicle approved for the
    19  farm E-Z Pass grant shall be charged at a discounted rate  as  described
    20  in  subdivision  two  of  this  section through the license plate of the
    21  motor  vehicles  provided  during  the  initial   application   process.
    22  Discounts  shall  be  awarded to farms or farmers experiencing financial

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02302-01-3
        S. 424                              2

     1  hardship based on a tiered system standard  which  shall  be  in  effect
     2  within  one  year  from  the effective date of this section.  Applicants
     3  shall reapply annually.
     4    2.  The  authority, in consultation with the department of agriculture
     5  and markets, shall review the size of each farm applicant and  determine
     6  whether  such applicant is experiencing financial hardship. The authori-
     7  ty, in consultation with the  department  of  agriculture  and  markets,
     8  shall  make  size  and  hardship  determinations  by reviewing each farm
     9  applicant's annual sales, costs, and revenue, the number of crops, live-
    10  stock, and/or livestock products needed to transport, and the amount  of
    11  overall production. The tiers shall be determined as follows:
    12    (a)  First-tier: Micro farms shall be limited to one small-sized motor
    13  vehicle and shall be   discounted one  hundred  percent  of  their  toll
    14  expenses.
    15    (b) Second-tier: Small-sized farms shall be limited to one small-sized
    16  motor vehicle and one medium-sized motor vehicle and shall be discounted
    17  seventy-five percent of their toll expenses.
    18    (c)  Third-tier:  Medium-sized  farms  shall be limited to two medium-
    19  sized motor vehicles and shall be discounted fifty percent of their toll
    20  expenses.
    21    (d) Fourth-tier: Large-sized farms shall be  limited  to  two  medium-
    22  sized  and one large-sized motor vehicle and shall be discounted twenty-
    23  five percent of their toll expenses.
    24    3. The authority, in consultation with the department  of  agriculture
    25  and  markets,  shall  promulgate  rules and regulations to implement the
    26  provisions of this section, including determining the application  proc-
    27  ess  and  establishing the type of documentation or other proof required
    28  to prove that a  motor  vehicle  is  exclusively  used  to  further  the
    29  conducting of the production of crops, livestock, livestock products, or
    30  agricultural products.
    31    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    32  it  shall  have become a law. Effective immediately, any rules and regu-
    33  lations necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its  effec-
    34  tive date are authorized to be completed on or before such date.