Bill > S09313

This bill authorizes the trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY) to lease approximately 1.6 acres of underutilized land at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) to Abby Lane Housing Corporation, a not-for-profit organization, for the purpose of building undergraduate and graduate student housing, without requiring public bidding. This action is intended to address ESF's growing enrollment and the need for more student housing, as ESF currently has limited on-campus housing and most upper-level and graduate students live off-campus. The lease can be for up to 100 years, and the terms will be determined by the SUNY trustees, with approval from the director of the division of the budget, the attorney general, and the state comptroller. If the land is no longer used for student housing, it will revert to SUNY. The bill also includes provisions to ensure that any construction work adheres to labor laws, including prevailing wage requirements, and explicitly states that this lease will not result in the displacement of current state employees or the privatization of services currently performed by them, protecting existing collective bargaining rights and ensuring that unclassified service positions remain as such.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9313