Research

The Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century was established in April 2005 (Ch. 63) and charged with was charged with reviewing the state's acute and long-term care systems and submitting its recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than December 1, 2006. The commission, which was chaired by Stephen Berger and commonly referred to as the Berger Commission, consisted of eighteen statewide members and thirty-six regional members.

The Environmental Facilities Corporation was created by the Laws of 1970, Chapter 744. The corporation is a reconstitution and continuation of the New York State Pure Waters Authority created in 1967 (Chapter 722) to plan, finance, construct, and operate sewage treatment and solid waste disposal facilities. In 1995 (Chapter 83), the Corporation's mandate was expanded to include projects focused on the removal, disposal, and remediation of petroleum storage tanks and the remediation of the sites on which such tanks are housed.

The Temporary State Commission on the Restoration of the Capitol was created in 1979 to study New York's National Historic Landmark Capitol and prepare a long-range, comprehensive plan for the building's restoration and rehabilitation. Between 1979 and 1982, the Capitol Commission carried out one of the most exhaustive studies ever undertaken on a public building and prepared a master plan that is recognized as a professional standard.

A Temporary State Commission on Judicial Conduct was created by the Legislature in 1974, beginning operations in January 1975, to investigate and prosecute cases of judicial misconduct make confidential suggestions and recommendations in the nature of admonitions to judges when appropriate and, in more serious cases, recommend that formal disciplinary proceedings be commenced in the appropriate court. The temporary Commission was composed of two judges, five lawyers and two lay persons.

The Council on the Arts is the successor to the New York State Council on the Arts, created as a temporary state commission by the legislature in 1960 (Chapter 313) to recommend ways of encouraging participation in and appreciation of the arts. In 1961 the council submitted a report to the legislature and subsequently received annual funding for the preservation and encouragement of the arts throughout the State. Four years later (Laws of 1965, Chapter 181) the council, composed of fifteen members, was elevated to the status of an agency in the Executive Department.

The office was created within the Executive Department in 1986 (Chapter 890) and began operations in April 1987. The agency was charged with coordinating State programs and activities relating to rural areas and providing assistance in the development of rural policies. Enabling legislation defined "rural" as counties with less than 200,000 population, a definition which included 44 counties encompassing 75 per cent of the State's land area and over 3 million people. The office's jurisdiction was later extended to rural areas in the remaining counties.

The Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council was established in 1991 to promote creation of a regional strategy for simultaneously preserving the Hudson Valley's scenic, natural, historic, and other resources, encouraging compatible economic development, and continuing the region's tradition of local land-use decision making. The Council works with local and county governments to develop and enhance land use planning techniques and to develop a voluntary regional planning compact.

The Commission on Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness was created by Governor Eliot L. Spitzer on April 23, 2007 (Executive Order No. 11). The commission consisted of fifteen members appointed by the Governor, including one member appointed upon recommendation of the State Comptroller, one upon recommendation of the Speaker of the Assembly, one upon recommendation of the Majority Leader of the Senate, one upon recommendation of the Minority Leader of the Assembly, and one upon recommendation of the Minority Leader of the Senate.

In 2001 (Chapter 590), the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Act created a commission to plan and develop the 400th anniversary celebrations of the voyages of discovery made by Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain, as well as the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton's steamship voyage along the Hudson River.

This authority was established in 1944 (Chapter 524) as a public-benefit corporation to finance and prepare plans, designs and cost estimates for construction, and to operate and maintain dormitories for the state colleges for teachers. The enabling legislation designated a governing board of eight: the commissioner of education, the comptroller, and six members appointed by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.