NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7638
SPONSOR: Paulin TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to establishing
a parking placard review board
PURPOSE:
To establish a review board to address the recommendation issued by the
Metropolitan Transportation Sustainability Advisory Workgroup to end
placard abuse to reduce congestion in the New York Metropolitan Area,
and subsequently decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 includes legislative findings.
Section 2 adds a new article 12 to the public authorities law, creating
a parking placard review board. The board will consist of a chair and
fifteen members, tasked with assessing the impact of parking placards
upon congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in the New York Metropol-
itan area, encouraging use of mass transit, and establishing criteria
for the retention of existing placards and the distribution of new plac-
ards. It shall consider factors including how often placards are
misused, how often complaints related to placards are received, the
effectiveness of any effots that have already been implemented to
address this issue, and enforcement of penalties. The board shall issue
a final report and recommendations on its findings within six months of
convening.
Section 3 provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION: In 2018, the Metropolitan Transportation Sustainabili-
ty Advisory Workgroup issued a report which found that vehicle placards
encourage people to commute by private car and recommended ending plac-
ard abuse to reduce congestion in the New York Metropolitan area.
The New York Metropolitan area, which consists of New York, Bronx,
Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland
counties has been designated as a nonattainment area by the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to meet the agency's
National Ambient Air Quality Standards. According to the EPA, the trans-
portation sector is the greatest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions
in our nation.
In New York City, parking placards are routinely issued by city, state
and federal entities, affording holders the benefit of convenient and
free parking, contributing to too many vehicles driving into and out of
the city and significantly increases greenhouse gas emissions and
congestion in the Metropolitan Area. Efforts must be made to curb levels
of congestion, especially from commuter traffic, in order to improve air
quality and hopefully allow the New York Metropolitan Area to begin to
start meeting the EPA's standards.
This bill creates a parking placard review board, which will have city,
state and federal representation, tasked with reviewing the impact of
parking placard use. The board will issue a final report and make recom-
mendations regarding the impact of parking placards upon congestion and
greenhouse gas emissions, and shall establish criteria for the retention
of existing placards and the distribution of new placards. It shall
consider factors including how often placards are misused, how often
complaints related to placards are received, the effectiveness of any
efforts that have already been implemented to address this issue, and
enforcement of penalties.
Creating a review board as set out in this bill is a necessary measure
towards gaining an accurate picture of the true impact of placard use,
ensuring accountability, identifying effective solutions and ultimately,
improving air quality and congestion levels.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.10341 of 2020, referred to Cities.
Same as 5.8628, referred to Rules.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7638
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 19, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Cities
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to establishing
a parking placard review board
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The Metropolitan Transportation
2 Sustainability Advisory Workgroup issued a report in 2018, which recom-
3 mended ending placard abuse as a way to reduce congestion. The legisla-
4 ture hereby finds and declares that the issuance of vehicle placards
5 encourages commuting by private vehicles and has led to congestion in
6 the New York metropolitan area, consisting of the counties of New York,
7 Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Rock-
8 land. The New York metropolitan area is designated a nonattainment area
9 for failure to meet environmental protection agency (EPA) national ambi-
10 ent air quality standards.
11 Further, the EPA has indicated that the transportation sector of the
12 New York metropolitan area is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas
13 emissions in the United States, accounting for 28% of emissions, with
14 light duty vehicles, such as personal cars and trucks, making up 59% of
15 those transportation sector emissions.
16 A reduction in motor vehicle traffic and congestion, particularly
17 commuter traffic into and out of Manhattan, is necessary to reduce these
18 emissions and improve air quality for the entire New York metropolitan
19 area.
20 § 2. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new article
21 10-E to read as follows:
22 ARTICLE 10-E
23 PARKING PLACARD REVIEW BOARD
24 Section 3985. Parking placard review board.
25 § 3985. Parking placard review board. 1. There is hereby created the
26 parking placard review "board", hereinafter referred to as the "board",
27 which shall consist of a chair and fifteen members appointed by the
28 governor as follows: two members upon appointment by the governor, one
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02091-03-1
A. 7638 2
1 of whom shall be the chair of the board; one member who shall be the
2 commissioner of the New York state department of transportation or his
3 or her designee; two members upon recommendation of the mayor of the
4 city of New York; one member who shall be the commissioner of the New
5 York city department of transportation or his or her designee; one
6 member who shall be the chancellor of the New York city department of
7 education or his or her designee; two members upon the recommendation of
8 the temporary president of the senate; two members upon the recommenda-
9 tion of the speaker of the assembly; one member who shall be the chief
10 judge of New York state or his or her designee; one member who shall be
11 the executive director of the port authority of New York and New Jersey
12 or his or her designee; one member who shall be the chairman of the
13 metropolitan transportation authority or his or her designee; one member
14 who shall be the district attorney of the county of New York or his or
15 her designee; and one member who shall be from the office of the assist-
16 ant director of the federal bureau of investigation New York field
17 office or his or her designee.
18 2. The board shall undertake a review of the impact of parking placard
19 use within the city of New York. The board shall issue a final report
20 and make recommendations related to the impact of parking placards upon
21 congestion and shall establish criteria for the retention of existing
22 parking placards and the distribution of new parking placards, and shall
23 consider factors including, but not limited to:
24 (a) the impact of parking placards upon congestion;
25 (b) reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the New York metropolitan
26 area;
27 (c) encouraging the use of mass transit;
28 (d) how often parking placards are misused, including illegal parking
29 at bus stops, in loading zones and at unpaid meters;
30 (e) the effectiveness of any measures that have already been imple-
31 mented to address parking placards, including legislation enacted by the
32 city of New York, and how such measures may be improved and expanded
33 upon;
34 (f) the number of parking placard complaints that are received and the
35 response and resolution of such complaints;
36 (g) requiring entities who issue parking placards to implement a ceil-
37 ing on the number of placards issued;
38 (h) eliminating reserved or dedicated parking for individuals with
39 placards; and
40 (i) enforcement of penalties for parking placard misuse by an entity
41 with independence from the individuals it would need to enforce.
42 3. The board shall, within six months of convening, issue a final
43 report and recommendations to the governor, the mayor of the city of New
44 York, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assem-
45 bly, the commissioner of the New York state department of transporta-
46 tion, the commissioner of the New York city department of transporta-
47 tion, the chancellor of the New York city department of education, the
48 executive director of the port authority of New York and New Jersey, the
49 chairman of the metropolitan transportation authority, the district
50 attorney of the county of New York, and the assistant director of the
51 federal bureau of investigation New York field office.
52 4. Members of the board shall serve without compensation.
53 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
