BILL NUMBER: S2686
SPONSOR: STEC
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to establishing
a commission on hosting the olympic games
 
PURPOSE:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to establishing
a commission on hosting the Olympic games.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the public authorities law to create a commission on
hosting the Olympic games.
Section 2 allows the Olympic Regional Development Authority to create
this commission and establishes that the commission shall consist of
thirteen members.
Section 3 outlines the process for appointing the members of the commis-
sion. Three shall be appointed by the governor, two each by the speaker
of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority
leader of the senate, and the minority leader of the assembly, and four
by ORDA. This section also establishes that any vacancies shall be
filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made and that
the members must reside in New York State.
Section 4 establishes the procedure for designating a chair of the
committee to serve a one-year term, and the rules for meetings.
Section 5 establishes that members will not receive compensation for
being on the commission but necessary and actual expenses which are
incurred during the performance of duties will be reimbursed.
Section 6 grants the commission the authority to determine the feasibil-
ity for Lake Placid to host the Winter Olympics and to investigate and
identify the best partner municipalities to host the event. This section
also sets the deadline for the commission to report their findings to
the governor and the legislature by February 1, 2024.
Section 7, Section 8 and Section 9 allows the commission to employ
personnel with any funding appropriated or donated to the committee and
authorizes the commission to undertake studies, inquiries, surveys, or
analyses it may deem relevant. These sections also allow the commission
to request and receive assistance and data from state agencies, subdivi-
sions, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, or offices as it deems
necessary or desirable to fulfill their duties.
Section 10 authorizes the commission to enter into any agreements and to
perform any acts necessary to fulfill their duties.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Lake Placid has a rich history of hosting the Winter Olympics first in
1932 and 1980. After the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York
established the Olympic Region Development Authority (ORDA) to preserve
and maintain the sites. Over the past ten years, the state has invested
heavily in ORDA to update their facilities for the 2023 University
Games- which has twice as many events as the 1980 Olympics- and beyond.
New York State has also invested in updating the Saranac Lake Civic
Center to host curling events for the World University Games. ORDA
facilities in the Lake Placid region are updated to hold large events
such as future Olympic games and are also ADA compliant, which puts Lake
Placid in a good position to host future Olympic Games with another
municipality in New York State. The Lake Placid region and the greater
Adirondack Park is the largest protected region in the contiguous United
States. The Adirondacks are an example to the world in how to balance
nature and wildlife with recreational use and resource protection. Lake
Placid and a joint municipality are the perfect host for the Winter
Olympic, to show the world how to properly promote use and tourism while
preserving world class natural resources and wildlife. With all the
state investment into updating ORDA and preparing the Lake Placid region
to host the 2023 World University Games, it is timely to host a commis-
sion to investigate the possibility to host the Winter Olympics in Lake
Placid in partnership with another municipality in New York State with
world class sporting facilities.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S3067 refereed to Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
2021-22: S9319 referred to Corporations, Authorities and Commissions;
A9864 referred to Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately