S 8849: Enacts the regional equity in policy implementation act; establishes a regional impact assessment framework; requires a ten-point regional impact test for statewide climate, energy, and infrastructure policies.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8849  IN SENATE January 9, 2026 ___________ Introduced by Sen. STEC -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Budget and Revenue AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a regional impact assessment framework and requiring a ten-point regional impact test for statewide climate, energy, and infrastructure policies The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "regional 2 equity in policy implementation act". 3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The Legislature finds that New 4 York State's diverse regions including the North Country, Capital 5 Region, Mohawk Valley, Central New York, Southern Tier, Western New 6 York, the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island face signif- 7 icantly different economic capacities, infrastructure realities, and 8 readiness levels for transition to the green economy. 9 While certain regions of the state possess robust and modernized elec- 10 trical grids and transportation infrastructure, other areas particularly 11 rural and upstate regions--experience aging or unreliable utility 12 systems, reduced tax bases, unique geographic constraints, and 13 disproportionate implementation costs. 14 Statewide mandates and programs often assume uniform readiness and 15 capacity across all regions, unintentionally creating inequitable 16 burdens and slowing progress toward statewide climate and sustainability 17 goals. 18 Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that state- 19 wide policies recognize these regional differences by establishing a 20 standardized 10-point regional impact test to evaluate the feasibility, 21 cost, and equity implications of proposed laws, regulations, and capital 22 programs. 23 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 184 to read 24 as follows: 25 § 184. Regional impact assessment framework. 1. For the purposes of 26 this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14186-01-5 
 S. 8849 2 1 (a) "policy" shall mean any statewide legislation, regulatory action, 2 program design, or funding mandate involving climate, energy, infras- 3 tructure, economic development, or municipal obligations. 4 (b) "test" shall mean the ten-point regional impact test developed 5 under this section. 6 2. The division of the budget, in consultation with the department of 7 public service, the department of environmental conservation, the New 8 York state energy research and development authority, and the empire 9 state development corporation, shall: 10 (a) develop and maintain a regional impact assessment framework appli- 11 cable to statewide policies; and 12 (b) define no less than ten regions of the state. 13 3. Any policy proposed within the state shall be accompanied by: 14 (a) a ten-point regional impact test, unless expressly exempted by 15 law; and 16 (b) a publicly available report based on the ten-point regional impact 17 test which shall include, but not be limited to: 18 (i) regional disparities identified and taken into account; 19 (ii) strategies which support regions with lower capacity or read- 20 iness; 21 (iii) demonstrations that regions are not disproportionately burdened 22 in cost, compliance, or infrastructure requirements; 23 (iv) any data supporting the regional impact test's results; and 24 (v) detailed information on proposed mitigation strategies. 25 4. (a) The ten-point regional impact test shall include ten criteria 26 which shall be evaluated and scored for each region within the state. 27 Such criteria shall be: 28 (i) infrastructure readiness, including but not limited to reliability 29 of the electrical grid, broadband, transportation systems, and 30 water/wastewater capacity. 31 (ii) economic capacity, including but not limited to ability of house- 32 holds, municipalities, and businesses to absorb compliance or upgrade 33 costs. 34 (iii) workforce availability and skills, including but not limited to 35 availability of trained workers needed to implement the policy or wheth- 36 er additional workforce development is required. 37 (iv) technological readiness, including but not limited to availabili- 38 ty of clean-energy systems, electric vehicle infrastructure, heat pumps, 39 transmission capacity, and related technologies. 40 (v) geographic and climatic conditions, including but not limited to 41 unique challenges related to climate, weather severity, rural distances, 42 or terrain. 43 (vi) community and demographic needs, including but not limited to 44 impacts on low-income communities, aging populations, and areas with 45 limited transportation access. 46 (vii) municipal capacity, including but not limited to availability of 47 local planning staff, code enforcement, grant-writing capacity, and 48 regional administrative support. 49 (viii) cost-benefit distribution, including but not limited to whether 50 benefits and burdens are proportionally shared between regions. 51 (ix) implementation timeline feasibility, including but not limited to 52 whether the proposed timeline is practical given a region's infrastruc- 53 ture and economic realities. 54 (x) equity and resiliency outcomes, including but not limited to 55 assessment of whether the policy increases resiliency and avoids 56 disproportionate impacts on any region. 
 S. 8849 3 1 (b) Each region shall receive a rating of "high impact," "moderate 2 impact," or "low/no impact" based on the findings of the test. Where 3 three or more regions score "high impact," the policy shall be revised 4 or include mitigation measures. 5 5. Mitigation measures shall be tailored to the region and the crite- 6 ria resulting in the "high impact" rating and shall not include the 7 policy being implemented in a manner that disproportionately harms or 8 delays progress in regions with lower infrastructure readiness. 9 6. The division of the budget shall submit an annual report to the 10 legislature and the governor summarizing statewide trends, regional 11 needs, and recommended updates to this section. 12 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all 13 statewide legislation, regulatory actions, program designs, or funding 14 mandates chaptered or adopted on and after January 1, 2027.