New York Assembly Bill A06012 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6012--A 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 25, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KELLES, GIBBS, LUNSFORD, SANTABARBARA, DeSTEFANO, SLATER, BRABENEC, DAVILA, RA, BRONSON, LEVENBERG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to establishing the safe water infrastructure action program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a 2 new article 78 to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 78 4 SAFE WATER AND INFRASTRUCTURE ACTION PROGRAM 5 Section 78-0101. Safe water and infrastructure action program. 6 § 78-0101. Safe water and infrastructure action program. 7 1. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter or any other 8 law and subject to an appropriation made therefor and in accordance with 9 the provisions of this section and with the rules and regulations 10 promulgated by the commissioner in connection therewith, on and after 11 the first day of April, two thousand twenty-six, a consolidated local 12 infrastructure program is hereby established for the purpose of making 13 payments toward the replacement and rehabilitation of existing local 14 municipally-owned and funded drinking water, storm water and sanitary 15 sewer systems. For purposes of this section, such program shall apply to 16 any drinking water system, storm water system or sanitary sewer system 17 within the state that is under the maintenance and/or operational juris- 18 diction of a county, city, town, village or public authority; provided, 19 however, that such system shall not be under the maintenance and/or 20 operational jurisdiction of a private entity; and provided further, 21 however, that no more than ten percent of the moneys paid under the 22 program shall be paid toward replacement and rehabilitation of drinking EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05392-03-5 
 A. 6012--A 2 1 water, storm water, and sanitary sewer systems under the maintenance 2 and/or operational jurisdiction of any one county, city, town, village, 3 or public authority. The commissioner, in conjunction with the environ- 4 mental facilities corporation, shall promulgate all necessary rules and 5 regulations to carry out the program so that an equitable distribution 6 of aid shall be made for the general operation and/or general mainte- 7 nance of any such existing drinking water system, storm water system or 8 sanitary sewer system. Existing water infrastructure includes all the 9 man-made and natural features that move and treat water in terms of 10 drinking water, waste water, and storm water. Monies from this fund may 11 be used for maintenance and repairs of existing water infrastructure as 12 well as new water infrastructure expansion, but only into already devel- 13 oped areas so as not to support sprawl and development of natural areas. 14 Already developed areas are those that are zoned/defined by munici- 15 palities as of January first, two thousand twenty-five as commercial and 16 residential use. 17 2. On or before the twenty-fifth day of April, June, September and 18 November of each state fiscal year commencing with the state fiscal year 19 beginning on April first, two thousand twenty-seven, there shall be 20 distributed and paid to counties, cities, towns, villages and public 21 authorities an amount equal to the moneys appropriated for the purposes 22 of this section divided by the number of payment dates in that state 23 fiscal year. Such amounts shall be distributed and paid pursuant to 24 subdivision three of this section. 25 3. Amounts shall be distributed for local drinking water, storm water 26 and sanitary sewer systems based upon a funding formula that the depart- 27 ment and the department of health shall create taking into consideration 28 factors including but not limited to: the system's length and width of 29 pipes; other physical assets maintained by the system, including treat- 30 ment facilities and pumping stations; the age of the system's infras- 31 tructure; and relevant socioeconomic factors, including the presence of 32 disadvantaged communities within a system's service area, to achieve an 33 equitable distribution of aid. 34 4. Monies made available may be used to match other state and federal 35 funds made available for such projects. The remainder of the apportion- 36 ment may be used for any existing drinking water, storm water or sewer 37 system purchases, including but not limited to, the acquisition of mate- 38 rials for the replacement or rehabilitation. 39 5. For any city, town, village or public authority which proposes 40 infrastructure consolidation under this section or merges with another 41 municipality, the funds appropriated under this section may fund costs 42 associated with such consolidation. 43 6. For each fiscal year, starting in two thousand twenty-seven, funds 44 are to be made available to the local infrastructure assistance account 45 of the general fund, and distributed from that account. 46 7. At the end of each fiscal year, each county, city, town, village 47 and public authority that receives funding pursuant to this section 48 shall submit an annual report to the department detailing how such money 49 was used. The department shall compile all reports and submit them to 50 the comptroller for their review. Once a report is finalized, it shall 51 be made publicly available on the department's website. The department 52 and the comptroller shall reserve the right to conduct sight visits to 53 ensure the money is being used accurately. 54 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 55 have become a law.