BILL NUMBER: S1979
SPONSOR: MURRAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the legislative law, in relation to requiring detailed
fiscal impact notes on certain legislation
 
PURPOSE:
To require detailed fiscal impact notes on all bills that affect the
revenues or expenses of any political subdivisions, stating the esti-
mated annual cost to the political subdivision and the funding source.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Section 51 of the legislative law to require detailed
fiscal impact notes on all bills that affect the revenues or expenses of
any political subdivision, stating the estimated annual cost, the source
of the estimate, and the funding source of such annual cost to the poli-
tical subdivision. It also invalidates bills that have fiscal impact
notes that are inaccurate and result in an annual net additional cost to
any political subdivision in excess of $10,000, or $1 million statewide.
Section 2 contains the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the national Tax Foundation, New York State has the highest
combined state and local tax burden in the nation and contains the high-
est taxed counties when property taxes are measured as a percentage of
home value. Despite property tax cap laws now in effect, killer property
taxes continue to rise, and can be attributed to costly mandates handed
down from the state to municipalities and school districts. Often
legislation imposing these mandates on localities is passed without
Legislators knowing the true fiscal impact of the legislation. This is
because current New York State law does not require fiscal impact notes
on all bills that affect a locality's revenues or expenses. This legis-
lation will require detailed fiscal impact notes on all bills that
affect local budgets. Creating transparency will help stop new mandates
that cripple our local governments from being enacted.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S2908 - Referred to Investigations and Government Operations
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
This legislation could provide savings to local governments.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S1979: 51 legislative law