BILL NUMBER: S2344
SPONSOR: WALCZYK
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the banking law, the canal law, the economic development
law, the court of claims act, the environmental conservation law, the
executive law, the highway law, the parks, recreation and historic pres-
ervation law, the public authorities law, the public officers law, the
real property tax law, the retirement and social security law, the state
finance law, the tax law, the transportation law, the vehicle and traf-
fic law, and the veterans' services law, in relation to dissolving the
New York state thruway authority, and transferring all functions,
duties, debts, and obligations of such authority to the department of
transportation; and to repeal certain provisions of the public authori-
ties law, the criminal procedure law, the environmental conservation
law, the highway law, the public officers law, the retirement and social
security law, the state finance law, and the transportation law, in
relation thereto
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill abolishes the New York State Thruway Authority in its entirety
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Abolishes the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) and
transfers all duties, debts, functions, and operations to the New York
State Department of Transportation (DOT).
Section 2: Transfers all NYSTA functions to DOT.
Section 3: Transfers all NYSTA employees to DOT.
Section 4: Transfers all NYSTA records to DOT.
Section 5: Establishes the continuity of authority from the NYSTA to
DOT.
Section 6: Establishes the completion of unfinished business from the
NYSTA to DOT.
Section 7: Establishes the continuity of rules and regulations from the
NYSTA to DOT.
Section 8: Designates DOT as the new reference point in case the NYSTA
is mentioned in laws, contracts, and other documents.
Section 9: Establishes that no existing right or remedy of any character
shall be lost, impaired, or affected by this act.
Section 10: Establishes that all pending actions and proceedings against
the NYSTA shall be transferred to DOT upon the bill becoming law.
Section 11: Transfers all assets and liabilities from NYSTA to DOT.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The New York State Thruway Authority must be abolished. Unfortunately,
it has cost New Yorkers a great deal of money since its inception. The
main purpose of the Thruway Authority was to manage the Thruway in its
infancy, when it was paid for with bonds. To generate revenue to pay off
said bonds, the State utilized tolls. The Governor at the time, Thomas
Dewey, promised that tolls would go away once the bonds were paid for
The bonds were paid off in 1992, but the tolls remain. In recent years,
tolls have increased dramatically as well. New Yorkers deserve better.
This bill would move all of the Thruway Authority's functions to the
Department of Transportation.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S8341 (2024): Referred to Transportation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Savings due to consolidation of the Thruway Authority and the Department
of Transportation.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately

Statutes affected:
S2344: 103 banking law, 103(1) banking law, 2 canal law, 2(24) canal law, 5 canal law, 168 economic development law, 6-0103 environmental conservation law, 6-0103(2) environmental conservation law, 21 executive law, 21(1) executive law, 310 executive law, 310(11) executive law, 10-f highway law, 10-f(5) highway law, 10-g highway law, 10-g(5) highway law, 23 highway law, 23(4) highway law, 88-a highway law, 88-a(1) highway law, 3.09 parks recreation and historic preservation law, 3.09(22) parks recreation and historic preservation law, 25.05 parks recreation and historic preservation law, 25.05(2) parks recreation and historic preservation law, 2603-a public authorities law, 2603-a(2) public authorities law, 2897 public authorities law, 2897(6) public authorities law, 582-a real property tax law, 582-a(2) real property tax law, 41 retirement and social security law, 41(j) retirement and social security law, 68-b state finance law, 68-b(8) state finance law, 69-j state finance law, 69-j(2) state finance law, 69-m state finance law, 69-m(1) state finance law, 69-n state finance law, 69-n(8) state finance law, 92-r state finance law, 92-r(5) state finance law, 501 tax law, 501(6) tax law, 514 tax law, 514(5) tax law, 14-j transportation law, 14-j(1) transportation law, 22 transportation law, 33 transportation law, 481 transportation law, 481(9) transportation law, 122 vehicle and traffic law, 385 vehicle and traffic law, 385(15-a) vehicle and traffic law, 511-b vehicle and traffic law, 511-b(6) vehicle and traffic law, 549 vehicle and traffic law, 1180-a vehicle and traffic law, 1180-a(2) vehicle and traffic law, 1224 vehicle and traffic law, 1224(4) vehicle and traffic law, 1603 vehicle and traffic law, 1630 vehicle and traffic law, 1631 vehicle and traffic law, 1664 vehicle and traffic law, 1683 vehicle and traffic law, 1803 vehicle and traffic law, 1803(12) vehicle and traffic law, 2.10 criminal procedure law, 2.10(15) criminal procedure law, 10-a highway law, 10-e highway law, 89-c retirement and social security law, 98 state finance law, 98(11) state finance law, 105 state finance law, 105(2) state finance law, 35 transportation law, 35(2) transportation law