Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-Endwell) announced today that she is co-sponsoring legislation (A.11106) to downsize New York State government by abolishing 129 public authorities. The legislation comes after a recommendation by the Authorities Budget Office that these authorities should be dissolved.

“For too long, public authorities in New York have remained unaccountable and allowed to proliferate at the taxpayers’ expense,” said Lupardo. “This bill is an important step in streamlining state government and reforming pubic authorities.”

The 129 agencies represent over 15 percent of the state’s public authorities. None of the agencies included in the legislation have any debt or other obligations.

This legislation is a direct result of the Public Authorities Reform Act of 2009, which Lupardo also co-sponsored. That reform, signed into law last year by Governor Paterson, created an independent Budget Authorities Office which was responsible for identifying the authorities to be abolished.

Two local agencies included in the legislation: 1) the Broome County Resource Recovery Authority and 2) the Village of Johnson City Urban Renewal Agency. Local governments that want to once again to use an authority for urban renewal, industrial development, parking, or other similar purpose, would need to obtain new legislation at the state level authorizing such use.