S 854: Establishes the eleven member home flooding prevention and mitigation task force to study the impact of coastal and inland waterway flooding on residential homes.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 854 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT in relation to establishing the home flooding prevention and mitigation task force; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Home flooding prevention and mitigation task force. 1. 2 There is hereby created, within the department of state, the home flood- 3 ing prevention and mitigation task force, which shall consist of 11 4 members who shall be appointed as follows: 5 (a) the secretary of state, or their designee; 6 (b) the commissioner of environmental conservation, or their designee; 7 (c) the director of the state emergency management task force, or 8 their designee; 9 (d) the superintendent of insurance, or their designee; 10 (e) one member to be appointed by the governor; 11 (f) one member to be appointed by the temporary president of the 12 senate; 13 (g) one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; 14 (h) one member to be appointed by the senate minority leader; 15 (i) one member to be appointed by the assembly minority leader; 16 (j) one member to be appointed by the largest trade group representing 17 homebuilders; and 18 (k) one member to be appointed by the largest trade group representing 19 flood insurance companies. 20 2. The at large members shall have expertise in one or more of the 21 following areas: construction; flood insurance; climatology; hydrology; 22 economics; marine fisheries; law enforcement and emergency management; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01075-01-5 
 S. 854 2 1 resilient infrastructure; geographic mapping and spatial analysis; and 2 urban planning and sustainable development. 3 3. Task force members shall receive no compensation for their services 4 but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in 5 the performance of their duties. 6 4. The chairperson of the task force shall be voted on by the task 7 force members. The task force shall meet no less than six times and at 8 other times at the call of the chairperson. 9 5. Any vacancies on the task force shall be filled in the manner 10 provided for in the initial appointment. 11 6. The task force shall be authorized to hold public hearings and 12 meetings to enable it to accomplish its duties. 13 7. The task force may consult with any organization, educational 14 institution, other government entity or agency or person in the develop- 15 ment of its report required by subdivision 11 of this section. 16 8. The department of state shall provide the task force with such 17 facilities, assistance and data as will enable the task force to carry 18 out its powers and duties. Additionally, all other agencies of the state 19 or subdivisions thereof may, at the request of the chairperson, provide 20 the task force with such facilities, assistance, and data as will enable 21 the task force to carry out its powers and duties. 22 9. The purpose of the home flooding prevention and mitigation task 23 force shall be to study the impact of coastal and inland waterway flood- 24 ing on residential homes, including, but not limited to: 25 (a) the monetary value of damage caused on an annual basis; 26 (b) the number of homes impacted on an annual basis; 27 (c) the number of homes in New York located in flood plains, as desig- 28 nated by the federal emergency management agency; 29 (d) the impact of increased flooding on flood insurance rates; 30 (e) changes needed in construction materials, standards, techniques 31 and building codes to mitigate damage caused by flooding; 32 (f) coastal and inland waterway land use that contributes to flooding; 33 and 34 (g) flood mitigation techniques to be used by municipalities in coas- 35 tal and inland waterway residential areas. 36 10. The task force shall be appointed no later than 60 days after the 37 effective date of this act. 38 11. No later than December 31, 2026, the task force shall submit to 39 the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the 40 assembly, the minority leader of the senate, and the minority leader of 41 the assembly, a report detailing its findings, including recommendations 42 for implementation. 43 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 44 deemed repealed January 1, 2027.