SENATE PASSES LEGISLATION TO PRIORITIZE THE PURCHASE OF REMANUFACTURED COMMODITIES

Thursday, June 22, 2000

The Senate today passed legislation (S. 8226) by Senators Roy Goodman (R-L, Manhattan) and Michael Balboni (R-C, Mineola) that will prioritize the purchase of remanufactured commodities through the state procurement process.

"Nearly every desk in every office has a printer with an ink or toner cartridge in it. By encouraging the state's purchase of cartridges that can be re-cycled or re-manufactured, we are keeping those cartridges out of the waste stream and protecting our soil and water, said Senator Balboni. "This is a refreshing instance of government setting a responsible example for the private sector."

"This legislation is a recognition by the state that there is an important need to give special preferences to businesses owned by the disabled, women, and minorities, said Senator Roy Goodman (R-L, Manhattan) " It also is a boom to our library system in that it allows libraries throughout the state to purchase low cost goods through the Office of General Services."

"Thanks to amazing advances in technology today we are able to turn many products we previously discarded into high quality merchandise, said Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno." "Every time we choose a recycled product over a new product we secure a brighter future for New York State. I commend Senator Goodman and Senator Balboni for supporting this legislation."

This legislation would also:
Extend for five years the sunset provision applicable to Preferred Sources and Purchasing Services of the Procurement Stewardship Act thereby protecting the employment of thousands of disabled people.
Provide for identifying small businesses and minority and women-owned businesses on lists maintained by the Office of General Services and make these lists available to authorized purchasers.
Raise the threshold for discretionary purchases from minority and women-owned businesses from $30,000 to $50,000
Raise the existing statutory threshold for advance notice in the New York State Contract Reporter for Discretionary purchases from $5,000 to $15,000.
Raise the threshold for the New York State Office of the State Comptroller pre-approval for contracts from $10,000 to $15,000.
Extend authority to purchases from centralized Office of General Services contracts to public libraries, association libraries, other libraries, library systems, cooperative library systems, the New York Library Association and the New York State Association of Library
Boards.
Provide for the purchasing of recyclable and remanufactured commodities, as well as, recycled commodities.

If signed into law the bill will take effect July 1, 2000. The sections on remanufacturing will take effect 90 days after being signed into law.

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