Has New York State introduced Quality Communities legislation?
A. Yes. The Governor initiated legislation which was enacted into law in 2005 that established the Quality Communities Grant Program (chapter 63 of the Laws of 2005). The Governor has also developed comprehensive legislative proposals to implement many of the recommendations of the Quality Communities Task Force. The Governors Bill was introduced by Sen. Mary Lou Rath in the 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 legislative sessions. There have also been other legislative proposals that have a direct bearing on Quality Communities recommendations, such as the Bill signed into law by the Governor in 2002 which directed the Public Service Commission to recommend actions necessary to provide advanced telecommunications to rural areas (Laws of 2002, Chapter 132). This report was submitted February 1, 2003. In 2007, the NYS Senate and Assembly introduced legislation to establish a new “Broadband Tax credit” as a way to encourage high-speed Internet providers to expand their services to underserved areas.
