The legislature hereby
hereby finds and declares that the eco-
nomic and social well-being of the people of the state
and the future shape and strength of the state's economy
will be greatly influenced by
influenced by the development and
availability of a pool of workers equipped to meet the
demands of a rapidly changing economy. The legislature
further finds that no comprehensive review of skill
development and job training by the public and private
sectors or of the state's massive vocational education
system has been undertaken in recent years and that such
review is essential for legislative consideration of
unified, effective and coordinated policies, programs
and delivery systems for vocational education and skills
development that will enhance economic growth and
nomic opportunity for state residents.
Accordingly, a legislative commission on skills develop-
ment and vocational education is hereby established
examine both public and private skills development and
job training programs and the adequacy of delivery sys-

eco

to

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tems for state-assisted programs, to assess the voca-
tional education system and its relevance to the needs
of youth, adults and the economy, to evaluate the in-
creasing mismatch between skills of the existing labor
force and those needed by growth sectors of the economy,
to assess how existing and new job training initiatives
can increase employability of disadvantaged persons, to
explore the adequacy of private sector investment in
human resource development and alternatives for state
action to encourage company efforts, and to make recom-
mendations to the legislature for such actions as it
determines necessary to enhance skills development and
vocational education programs.

The commission shall consist of 10 members to be appointed
as follows: 3 members of the senate shall be appointed
by the temporary president of the senate; 3 members of
the assembly shall be appointed by the speaker
assembly; 2 members of the senate shall be appointed by
the minority leader of the senate; and 2 members of the
assembly shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the assembly. From among the members SO appointed, a
chairman and a vice chairman shall be designated by the
joint action of the temporary president of the senate
and the speaker of the assembly. Any vacancy that occurs
in the commission or in the chairmanship or vice chair-
manship shall be filled in the same manner in which the
original appointment or designation was made. No member,
officer, or employee of the commission shall be
disqualified from holding any other public office or
employment, nor shall he forfeit any such office or em-
ployment by reason of his appointment hereunder,
notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special,
or local law, ordinance, or city charter.

The commission may employ and at pleasure remove such per-
sonnel as it may deem necessary for the performance of
the commission's functions and fix their compensation
within the amount appropriated therefor. The commission
may meet within and without the state, hold public and
private hearings and otherwise have all of the powers of
a legislative committee under the legislative law. The
members of the commission shall receive no compensation
for their services but shall be allowed their actual and
necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their
duties hereunder.

Employees of the commission shall be considered to be employees of the legislature for all purposes.

The commission may request and shall receive from any court, department, division, board, or bureau, commission, or agency of the state such assistance and data as will enable the commission properly to carry out its powers and duties thereunder.

The commission is hereby authorized and empowered to make and sign any agreements, and to perform any acts that

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may be necessary, desirable or proper to carry out the purposes and objectives of this act.

The commission shall continue in existence until June 30, 1993.

The legislature hereby finds that the improper landfilling of municipal and industrial waste presents a serious threat to the health and welfare of the people of the state and to the state's air, land and water resources; in particular, to the state's surface and groundwater, which constitute irreplaceable resources which are critical to public health and the general well being of the people of the state.

The legislature also finds that due to the state's severely limited landfill capacity and due to the unacceptability of burying certain wastes, alternative technologies such as waste reduction, recycling and resource recovery are preferable to landfilling because they hold the potential to replace dwindling landfill capacity and thereby afford a higher degree of protection to the public health and environment of this state.

The legislature further finds that the disposal of solid waste through the uncontrolled and improper use of such technologies as resource recovery may also cause public health and environmental problems and have therefore not been uniformly accepted by the public.

Accordingly, a legislative commission on solid waste management is hereby established (a) to evaluate present solid waste management practices employed in New York state with particular attention to those areas of the state which are experiencing a severe shortage of land

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fill capacity; (b) to assess new technologies available for solid waste management and to evaluate environmental and performance standards and criteria as may be proposed for such technologies; (c) to examine economic and legal impediments to the implementation of such technologies, including recommendations to mitigate such impediments; (d) to examine impacts to local communities in which solid waste management facilities are sited, including any incentives which may be offered to such communities in the process of siting such facilities; and (e) to make recommendation to the legislature for action it may determine is necessary to provide for the proper disposal of solid waste in New York state with specific recommendation for areas of the state experiencing a severe shortage of landfill capacity.

The commission shall consist of 12 members to be appointed as follows: 4 members of the senate shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; 4 members of the assembly shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; 2 members of the senate shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and 2 members of the assembly shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. From among the members SO appointed, a chairman and vice chairman shall be designated by the joint action of the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly. Any vacancy that occurs in the commission shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made. No member, officer or employee of the commission shall be disqualified from holding any other public office or employment, nor shall he forfeit any such office or employment by reason of his appointment hereunder, notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special, or local law, ordinance, or city charter.

The commission may employ and at pleasure remove such personnel as it may deem necessary for the performance of the commission's functions and fix compensation within the amount appropriated therefor. The commission may meet within and without the state; hold public and private hearings and otherwise have all of the powers of a legislative committee under the legislative law. The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder.

Employees of the commission shall be considered to be employees of the legislature for all purposes. The commission may request and shall receive from any subdivision, department, board, bureau, commission, office, agency or other instrumentality of the state or of any political subdivision thereof, such facilities, assistance and data as it deems necessary or desirable for the proper execution of its powers and duties.

The

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commission is hereby authorized and empowered to make and sign any agreements, and to do and perform any acts that may be necessary, desirable or proper to carry out the purposes and objectives set forth herein.

The commission shall continue in existence until June 30, 1993.

The legislature hereby finds that a strong relationship between the state and its counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and other units of government is central to the effective provision of government services for the benefit of the people of the state. This relationship encompasses state mandates on local governments to provide certain services and perform certain activities; state limits on the ability of local governments to provide services, raise revenue and incur debt; and state programs of assistance to relieve local governments of a portion of the responsibility for raising revenues to meet the costs of local services. Categorical programs of state assistance help local governments finance specific services of importance to the people of the state, while programs of state general purpose aid provide local governments with general assistance in meeting the costs of services, including state mandated activities.

The legislature further finds that proposals to amend state categorical or general purpose assistance programs, to shift costs or responsibilities between the state and local governments, or to alter or impose local taxing, borrowing or spending limits should be evaluated in the context of all the various elements of statelocal relations. The variation among local governments,

602,673