Today, Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes (R,C-Caledonia) joined fellow members of the Assembly Minority Conference at a press conference to release findings from, “NEW YORK’S INFRASTRUCTURE: A Report on Fortifying Our Roads, Bridges and Water Systems.” The report is a follow-up to last year’s eight regional forums as part of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Critical Infrastructure and Transportation.

“Our infrastructure is the foundation of New York that we heavily rely on to safely commute to work and bring our children to school,” said Byrnes. “New York currently ranks seventh for the worst infrastructure in the nation. It affects our economy, our businesses and all of our residents. We cannot remain stagnant on this issue. I commend my colleagues and members of the Assembly Minority for their hard work and willingness to provide a comprehensive bill package that addresses our failing infrastructure.”

The Assembly Minority Conference will introduce a comprehensive package of bills to improve funding for the state’s roads, bridges and water and sewer systems that includes:

• Ensure funding parity between the upcoming NYSDOT and MTA Five-Year Capital Programs;
• Increase CHIPS base aid by $100 million/year for five years and tie to CPI to account for inflation and increasing material costs;
• Enact legislation mandating that all funding for the Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund (DHBTF) is to be used only for capital infrastructure, not for state operations or debt service payments;
• Expand support for the Clean Water Investment Act (CWIA) to ensure long-term commitment to water, sewer infrastructure;
• Establish a companion for the existing CHIPS program, offering financial assistance to local governments for drinking, storm and sewer water infrastructure, called the Water Infrastructure Investment Program (WIIPS);
• Continue, strengthen and improve PAVE-NY, EWR and BRIDGE NY in NYSDOT 2020-2024 Capital Program to help municipalities plan for improvements;
• Establish a CHIPS-like formula for culverts based on the length of culverts within the municipality;
• Require NYSDOT release a report each year detailing the condition of state-owned roads and bridges;
• Direct NYSDOT to develop a 20-30-year long-term transportation plan; and
• Require NYSDOT to submit its capital plan for approval.