New York Assembly Bill A06980

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/18/25
• Refer: 3/18/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires the metropolitan transportation authority to publish certain information pertaining to capital project data for projects that are committed for construction on the capital program dashboard maintained by the authority on the authority's website; requires sources of funding to be specified.

Summary

This bill would expand the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital program dashboard requirements by mandating more detailed public reporting for projects that have been committed for construction. In addition to existing budget and schedule information, the MTA would have to publish contract numbers, vendors, contractors, and all funding sources expended to date. The funding disclosure would need to identify whether state funding came from the central business district tolling lockbox or a successor account. The bill also requires the dashboard to show each project’s current phase, progress measured by percentage of expenditure, and narrative explanations for major changes. Specifically, it would require written explanations for budget changes over 10 percent, significant scope changes, or schedule changes of three months or more. The dashboard would need a glossary or data dictionary with plain-language definitions, including a definition of resiliency, and the data would have to be updated at least quarterly and made available for download in a machine-readable tabular format, including on data.ny.gov or a successor state data site. Finally, the MTA would have to create a separate dashboard section for projects funded by the central business district tolling lockbox.

Impact

The bill amends the Public Authorities Law, section 1269-b, by adding new disclosure and data-publication obligations for the MTA’s capital program dashboard. It would not directly change transportation project funding rules or construction authority, but it would significantly expand transparency requirements for capital projects, including procurement information, funding source tracking, and standardized public data access. The measure would affect the MTA, its contractors and vendors, and the public agencies responsible for state open-data publication.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text and sponsor list, the measure appears to be framed as a transparency and accountability proposal, with likely support from lawmakers interested in oversight of MTA spending and capital delivery. The absence of recorded votes or hearing discussion means the overall sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the bill’s apparent policy goal of improving public visibility into project performance and funding.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the added reporting burden on the MTA and the level of detail required for public disclosure. Requiring contract-level information, funding-source breakdowns, narrative explanations for changes, and frequent updates could be viewed as administratively demanding, especially for a large and complex capital program. Another possible issue is the separate treatment of projects funded by the central business district tolling lockbox, which may draw scrutiny because it ties reporting to congestion pricing revenues and could raise questions about how those funds are tracked and presented.