Bill Text: NY S01347 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Relates to requiring the state to fund certain programs mandated for municipal corporations and school districts.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 14-4)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-02-13 - referred to local governments [S01347 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S01347-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1347--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 9, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sens. FUNKE, AKSHAR, BONACIC, BROOKS, CROCI, GALLIVAN, HELMING, JACOBS, KAMINSKY, KENNEDY, MARCHIONE, MURPHY, O'MARA, PHIL- LIPS, RITCHIE, ROBACH, SAVINO, SERINO -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Govern- ment -- recommitted to the Committee on Local Government in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the general municipal law and the education law, in relation to requiring the state to fund certain programs mandated for municipal corporations and school districts; and to amend the educa- tion law, in relation to the effect of mandates on school districts The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. State mandated programs, unlike local 2 service decisions, place local taxpayers and local officials in the 3 position of paying for services that they do not control. Increasingly, 4 however, the state has set local priorities and forced municipal taxing 5 decisions by mandating services, programs, and standards. As a result, 6 many local governments and school districts are today in an acutely 7 difficult fiscal situation. 8 Thus, in order to prevent irresponsible state actions which prevent 9 localities from making their own decisions, and which force unwanted 10 local property tax increases, it is necessary to ensure that state 11 mandates will not be forced on localities and school districts unless 12 they are adequately funded. 13 § 2. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 25 14 to read as follows: 15 § 25. Funding of mandates. 1. Definitions. As used in this section, 16 the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the context 17 shall otherwise require: 18 (a) "Mandate" means: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04177-02-8S. 1347--A 2 1 (i) any state law, rule, or regulation which creates a new program or 2 requires a higher level of service for an existing program which a 3 municipal corporation is required to provide; or 4 (ii) any general law which grants a new property tax exemption or 5 increases an existing property tax exemption which the municipal corpo- 6 ration is required to provide. 7 (b) "Unfunded mandate" shall mean: 8 (i) any state law, rule, or regulation which creates a new program or 9 requires a higher level of service for an existing program which a 10 municipal corporation is required to provide and which results in a net 11 additional cost to the municipal corporation; 12 (ii) any alteration in funding provided to a municipal corporation for 13 the purpose of defraying the costs of a program which it is required to 14 provide, thereby resulting in a net additional cost to the municipal 15 corporation; or 16 (iii) any general law which grants a new property tax exemption or 17 increases an existing property tax exemption which the municipal corpo- 18 ration is required to provide, thereby resulting in a net additional 19 cost to the municipal corporation. 20 (c) "Net additional cost" means the cost or costs incurred or antic- 21 ipated to be incurred within a one year period by a local government in 22 performing or administering a mandate after subtracting therefrom any 23 revenues received or receivable by the local government on account of 24 the mandated program or service, including but not limited to: 25 (i) fees charged to the recipients of the mandated program or service; 26 (ii) state or federal aid paid specifically or categorically in 27 connection with the program or service; and 28 (iii) an offsetting savings resulting from the diminution or elimi- 29 nation of any other program or service directly attributable to the 30 performance or administration of the mandated program. 31 2. Funding of municipal corporation mandates. Notwithstanding any 32 other provision of law, no unfunded mandate shall be enacted which 33 creates an annual net additional cost to any municipal corporation. 34 3. Exemptions to the funding of municipal corporation mandates 35 requirement. (a) The state shall not be required to fund any new or 36 expanded programs if: 37 (i) The mandate is required by a court order or judgment; 38 (ii) The mandate is provided at the option of the local government 39 under a law, regulation, rule, or order that is permissive rather than 40 mandatory; 41 (iii) The mandate results from the passage of a home rule message 42 whereby a local government requests authority to implement the program 43 or service specified in the statute, and the statute imposes costs only 44 upon that local government which requests the authority to impose the 45 program or service; 46 (iv) The mandate is required by, or arises from, an executive order of 47 the governor exercising his or her emergency powers; or 48 (v) The mandate is required by statute or executive order that imple- 49 ments a federal law or regulation and results from costs mandated by the 50 federal government to be borne at the local level, unless the statute or 51 executive order results in costs which exceed the costs mandated by the 52 federal government. 53 (b) Each act establishing a mandate shall provide that the effective 54 date of any such mandate imposed on municipal corporations shall be 55 consistent with the needs of the state and municipal corporations toS. 1347--A 3 1 plan implementation thereof and consistent with the availability of 2 required funds. 3 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 1527-a to 4 read as follows: 5 § 1527-a. Funding of mandates imposed on school districts. 1. Defi- 6 nitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the 7 following meanings unless the context shall otherwise require: 8 (a) "Mandate" means: 9 (i) any state law, rule, or regulation which creates a new program or 10 requires a higher level of service for an existing program which a 11 school district organized either by special laws or pursuant to the 12 provisions of a general law, is required to provide; or 13 (ii) any general law which grants a new property tax exemption or 14 increases an existing property tax exemption which any such school 15 district is required to provide. 16 (b) "Unfunded mandate" shall mean: 17 (i) any state law, rule, or regulation which creates a new program or 18 requires a higher level of service for an existing program which any 19 such school district is required to provide and which results in a net 20 additional cost to such school district; 21 (ii) any alteration in funding provided to any such school district 22 for the purpose of defraying the costs of a program which it is required 23 to provide, thereby resulting in a net additional cost to such school 24 district; or 25 (iii) any general law which grants a new property tax exemption or 26 increases an existing property tax exemption which any such school 27 district is required to provide, thereby resulting in a net additional 28 cost to such school district. 29 (c) "Net additional cost" means the cost or costs incurred or antic- 30 ipated to be incurred within a one year period by a school district in 31 performing or administering a mandate after subtracting therefrom any 32 revenues received or receivable by the school district on account of the 33 mandated program or service, including but not limited to: 34 (i) fees charged to the recipients of the mandated program or service; 35 (ii) state or federal aid paid specifically or categorically in 36 connection with the program or service; and 37 (iii) an offsetting savings resulting from the diminution or elimi- 38 nation of any other program or service directly attributable to the 39 performance or administration of the mandated program. 40 2. Funding of school district mandates. Notwithstanding any other 41 provision of law, no unfunded mandate shall be enacted which creates an 42 annual net additional cost to any school district. 43 3. Exemptions to the funding of school district mandates requirement. 44 (a) The state shall not be required to fund any new or expanded programs 45 for school districts if: 46 (i) The mandate is required by a court order or judgment; 47 (ii) The mandate is provided at the option of the school district 48 under a law, regulation, rule, or order that is permissive rather than 49 mandatory; 50 (iii) The mandate results from the passage of a home rule message 51 whereby a school district requests authority to implement the program or 52 service specified in the statute, and the statute imposes costs only 53 upon that school district which requests the authority to impose the 54 program or service; 55 (iv) The mandate is required by, or arises from, an executive order of 56 the governor exercising his or her emergency powers; orS. 1347--A 4 1 (v) The mandate is required by statute or executive order that imple- 2 ments a federal law or regulation and results from costs mandated by the 3 federal government to be borne at the local level, unless the statute or 4 executive order results in costs which exceed the costs mandated by the 5 federal government. 6 (b) Each act establishing a mandate shall provide that the effective 7 date of any such mandate imposed on school districts shall be consistent 8 with the needs of the state and school districts to plan implementation 9 thereof, and also consistent with the availability of required funds. 10 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 308-a to 11 read as follows: 12 § 308-a. Special provisions; mandates. 1. As used in this section, 13 "mandate" means (a) any state law, rule or regulation which creates a 14 new program or requires a higher level of service for an existing 15 program which a school district, organized either by special laws or 16 pursuant to the provisions of a general law, is required to provide, or 17 (b) any general law which grants a new property tax exemption or 18 increases an existing property tax exemption which any such school 19 district is required to provide. 20 2. In the event that a mandate which imposes a cost upon a school 21 district is created after the adoption of a school budget, such mandate 22 shall not be implemented until the following year for which such school 23 budget was adopted. 24 3. Notwithstanding subdivision two of this section, such a mandate can 25 be imposed if: 26 (a) The mandate is provided at the option of the school district under 27 a law, regulation, rule or order that is permissive rather than mandato- 28 ry; 29 (b) The mandate is required by, or arises from, an executive order of 30 the governor exercising his or her emergency powers; or 31 (c) The mandate is required by statute or executive order that imple- 32 ments a federal law or regulation and results from costs mandated by the 33 federal government to be borne at the local level, unless the statute or 34 executive order imposes costs which exceed the costs mandated by the 35 federal government. 36 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that: 37 1. sections one through three of this act shall be deemed to have been 38 in full force and effect on and after April 1, 2019 and shall apply to 39 any general or special law imposing mandates on municipal corporations 40 or school districts enacted on or after such effective date; and 41 2. the commissioner of education shall adopt any regulations needed to 42 implement the provisions of this act on or before July 1, 2020.
