Section 168. Inter-agency tourism task force

(a)  There  is  hereby
  established  an  inter-agency  tourism  task  force  consisting  of  the
  following members:
    (1)  the commissioner or his or her designated representative from the
  department and the departments of transportation, parks, recreation  and
  historic   preservation,  environmental  conservation,  agriculture  and
  markets, and health;
    (2) the chairman or his or her designated representative  of  the  New
  York  state  thruway  authority,  the  New York power authority, and the
  tourism advisory council, the New York state council on  the  arts,  the
  canal  corporation,  the  canal  recreationway  commission,  the Olympic
  regional development authority, and the Hudson River park trust;
    (3) the chairpersons or their designated representatives of the senate
  standing committee on tourism, recreation and  sports  development,  and
  the assembly standing committee on tourism, arts and sports development,
  who shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members; and
    (4)  upon  designation by the governor, the chief executive officer or
  his or her designated representative of any department,  board,  bureau,
  commission,  office,  agency,  or  other  instrumentality  of  the state
  providing services or programs for travelers, travel-related  businesses
  or other public bodies which operate a travel-related program.
    (b)  The  chairman  of  the  task force shall be the commissioner. The
  members of the task force may elect such other officers as they may deem
  necessary.
    (c) The task force shall meet at least four times  each  year  at  the
  call of the chairman.
    (d)  Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for their
  services as members, but shall  be  compensated  for  their  actual  and
  necessary  expenses  by  warrant of the comptroller and voucher of their
  department, agency, authority or council.
    (e) The task force shall:
    (1) receive the  report  of  each  member  on  programs  and  services
  provided  to  the  traveling public, travel-related businesses and other
  public bodies providing services or programs for travelers, and evaluate
  such reports to determine opportunities  for  coordination  of  efforts,
  prevention of duplication of services, and sharing of resources;
    (2)  evaluate  and  recommend  to  the  governor  and  the legislature
  initiatives to enhance or facilitate the  effectiveness  of  current  or
  planned state traveler services or tourism marketing programs;
    (3)  evaluate  and  make  recommendations  to  prevent  overlapping of
  promotion efforts and programs;
    (4) submit not more than two weeks after each meeting  copies  of  the
  meeting  minutes  to  each member of the inter-agency tourism task force
  including ex-officio, non-voting members; and
    (5) report on or before January first of each year  to  the  governor,
  the  temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, and
  the chairman of the appropriate legislative committees on the activities
  of the task force with respect to its functions, powers and duties.