N.Y. Public Authorities Law § 2799-bbb: Statement of legislative findings and purpose

§ 2799-bbb. Statement of legislative findings and purpose. The

legislature hereby finds and declares as follows:

1. The economic well-being of the state and the general welfare of its

people require adequate, safe, secure and efficient aviation and

transportation facilities at a reasonable cost to the people.

2. The strengthening and improvement of aviation facilities and

related services for the central part of the state is a matter of vital

importance not only to the residents of central New York but to all the

state's residents and is therefore a matter of state concern.

3. In order to ensure a healthy economy for such area and to promote

the general welfare of its residents, it is necessary to expand and

improve the existing aviation facilities and services in the central New

York region in such a manner as to stimulate and promote increased

local, state, national and international air travel and commerce

throughout central New York.

4. The health, welfare, safety and security of the state's residents

and of those passengers using air transportation requires coordinated

operation of aviation facilities and services in the central New York

region by a public benefit airport authority.

5. The purposes of such authority shall be:

(a) to stimulate and promote economic development, trade and tourism;

(b) to acquire, construct, reconstruct, continue, develop, equip,

expand, improve, maintain, finance and operate aviation and other

related facilities and services within central New York;

(c) to promote safe, secure, efficient and economical air

transportation by preserving and enhancing airport capacity;

(d) to form an integral part of a safe and effective nationwide system

of airports to meet the present and future needs of civil aeronautics

and national defense and to assure inclusion of the authority's

facilities in state, national and international programs for air

transportation and for airport or airway capital improvement, all in

accordance with the provisions of this title; and

(e) to ensure that aviation facilities authorized pursuant to this

title shall provide for the protection and enhancement of the natural

resources and the quality of the environment of the state and the

central New York area.

6. Such purposes are in all respects public purposes for the benefit

of the people of the state of New York and for which public funds may be

expended and both the city of Syracuse and the authority in carrying out

their respective powers and duties under this title shall be deemed to

be acting in a governmental capacity. The acquisition, construction,

reconstruction, development, expansion, improvement, equipping,

operation and maintenance of any project financed or undertaken by the

authority or the city shall be deemed to be the performance of an

essential governmental function by the authority or the city acting in

its governmental capacity, whether such project shall be owned or

operated by the authority or by any person or public corporation.

7. It is hereby found and declared that it has been and remains the

policy of the state of New York to promote equal opportunity in

employment for all persons, without discrimination on account of race,

creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual preference, age, disability

or marital status, to promote equality of economic opportunity for

minority group members and women, and business enterprises owned by

them, and to eradicate the effects of private and governmental

discrimination which has erected and continues to maintain barriers that

unreasonably impair access by minority and women-owned business

enterprises to state contract opportunities. For the purpose of

furthering the state's compelling interest in eradicating the effects of

racial and sexual discrimination, therefore, it is necessary and proper

that article fifteen-a of the executive law, concerning participation by

minority group members and women and business enterprises owned by them,

shall apply to the Syracuse regional airport authority.