STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3748 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GRAY, BLANKENBUSH, BENDETT, HAWLEY, DiPIETRO, TAGUE, MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transpor- tation AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to providing milk dealers and agricultural food product transporters with electron- ic toll collection devices free of charge The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new 2 section 378-b to read as follows: 3 § 378-b. Milk and farm food product transport electronic tolling. 1. 4 For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the 5 following meanings: 6 (a) "Milk" shall have the same definition as such term is defined 7 pursuant to subdivision seven of section two hundred fifty-three of the 8 agriculture and markets law. 9 (b) "Farm food product" means: 10 (i) livestock; 11 (ii) fresh produce; 12 (iii) meat; 13 (iv) milk; and 14 (v) dairy products. 15 2. The authority shall establish and issue an electronic toll 16 collection exemption process for single unit trucks and trucks having 17 two or more axles which are owned and operated by a person or entity 18 engaged in the purchasing, handling or selling of milk and farm food 19 products, or who bargains for the purchase or sale of milk and farm food 20 products, when such trucks are used exclusively to further the purchas- 21 ing, handling, and selling of milk and farm food products throughout the 22 state. The exemption process shall be developed such that the use of 23 electronic collection devices shall be at no cost to such persons or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06293-01-5A. 3748 2 1 entities, and the authority shall be responsible for the cost of the 2 toll imposed for the use of the thruway system, or any portion thereof, 3 by the truck to which this device is affixed. 4 3. The authority shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement 5 the provisions of this section, including establishing the type of 6 documentation or other proof required to prove that a truck is exclu- 7 sively used to further the purchasing, handling, and selling of milk and 8 farm food products throughout the state. 9 4. The department of transportation is hereby authorized and directed 10 to create a fund, subject to an appropriation, which shall be designated 11 as the farm food product toll reimbursement fund. Such fund shall be 12 used for the purpose of reimbursing the thruway authority and the metro- 13 politan transportation authority in the execution of the toll exemption 14 process established pursuant to this section. Upon receipt of proper 15 documentation showing costs incurred by the thruway authority and the 16 metropolitan transportation authority, the department shall make depos- 17 its from the farm food product toll reimbursement fund to funds duly 18 created by the thruway authority and the metropolitan transportation 19 authority for the purpose of effectuating such reimbursement process, 20 pursuant to sections three hundred fifty-four and one thousand two 21 hundred sixty-five of this chapter, respectively. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 23 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 24 ment, and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the imple- 25 mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made 26 and completed on or before such effective date.