Section 1332. Special powers of the authority

In order to effectuate the
  purposes of this title: 1. The authority may acquire, by purchase, gift,
  grant, transfer, contract or lease, or condemnation, any  transportation
  facility,  including  port  or  related  facilities  wholly or partially
  within the transportation district or  any  part  thereof,  or  the  use
  thereof,   and   may  enter  into  any  joint  service  arrangements  as
  hereinafter provided. Any such acquisition or joint service  arrangement
  shall  be authorized only by resolution of the authority approved by not
  less than a majority of the whole number of  members  of  the  authority
  then in office.
    2. The authority may on such terms and conditions as the authority may
  determine   necessary,   convenient   or   desirable  itself  establish,
  construct, effectuate, operate, maintain, renovate, improve,  extend  or
  repair  any  such  transportation  facility,  or  may  provide  for such
  establishment,  construction,  effectuation,   operation,   maintenance,
  renovation,  improvement,  extension  or  repair  by contract, lease, or
  other arrangement on such terms as the  authority  may  deem  necessary,
  convenient  or  desirable  with any person, including but not limited to
  any common carrier or freight forwarder, the state,  any  state  agency,
  the  federal  government,  any  other state or agency or instrumentality
  thereof, any public  authority  of  this  or  any  other  state  or  any
  political  subdivision  or municipality of the state. In connection with
  the operation of any such transportation  facility,  the  authority  may
  establish,  construct, effectuate, operate, maintain, renovate, improve,
  extend or repair or may provide by contract, lease or other  arrangement
  for    the   establishment,   construction,   effectuation,   operation,
  maintenance, renovation, improvement, extension or repair of any related
  services and activities it deems  necessary,  convenient  or  desirable,
  including  but  not limited to the transportation and storage of freight
  and the  United  States  mail,  feeder  and  connecting  transportation,
  parking  areas,  transportation  centers,  port,  stations  and  related
  facilities.
    3. The authority may establish,  levy  and  collect  or  cause  to  be
  established,  levied  and  collected and, in the case of a joint service
  arrangement, join with others in the establishment, levy and  collection
  of  such  fares, tolls, rentals, rates, charges and other fees as it may
  deem necessary, convenient or desirable for the use and operation of any
  transportation facility and related services operated by  the  authority
  or by a subsidiary corporation of the authority or under contract, lease
  or  other  arrangement,  including  joint service arrangements, with the
  authority. Any such fares, tolls, rentals, rates, charges or other  fees
  for  the  transportation  of passengers shall be established and changed
  only if approved by resolution of the authority adopted by not less than
  a majority of the whole number of  members  of  the  authority  then  in
  office  and  only  after a public hearing, provided however, that fares,
  tolls, rentals, rates, charges or other fees for the  transportation  of
  passengers  on  any  transportation  facility which are in effect at the
  time that the then owner  of  such  transportation  facility  becomes  a
  subsidiary corporation of the authority or at the time that operation of
  such  transportation  facility  is  commenced  by  the  authority  or is
  commenced under contract, lease or  other  arrangement  including  joint
  service  arrangements,  with  the  authority  may be continued in effect
  without such a hearing. Such fares, tolls, rentals, rates,  charges  and
  other  fees shall be established as may in the judgment of the authority
  be necessary to maintain the combined operations of  the  authority  and
  its  subsidiary  corporations  on  a  self-sustaining  basis.  The  said
  operations shall be deemed to be on a self-sustaining basis as  required
  by  this  title,  when  the authority is able to pay or cause to be paid

  from revenue and any other funds or property actually available  to  the
  authority  and  its subsidiary corporations (a) as the same shall become
  due, the principal of and interest on the  bonds  and  notes  and  other
  obligations  of  the  authority  and  of  such  subsidiary corporations,
  together with the maintenance of proper reserves therefor, (b) the  cost
  and  expense  of  keeping the properties and assets of the authority and
  its subsidiary corporations in good condition and repair,  and  (c)  the
  capital  and  operating  expenses  of  the  authority and its subsidiary
  corporations. The authority may contract with the holders of  bonds  and
  notes  with  respect  to  the  exercise of the powers authorized by this
  section.
    4. The authority may establish and,  in  the  case  of  joint  service
  arrangements,  join  with  others in the establishment of such schedules
  and standards  of  operations  and  such  other  rules  and  regulations
  including but not limited to rules and regulations governing the conduct
  and  safety  of  the  public  as  it  may  deem necessary, convenient or
  desirable for the use and operation of any transportation  facility  and
  related  services  operated by the authority or under contract, lease or
  other  arrangement,  including  joint  service  arrangements,  with  the
  authority.  Such  rules and regulations governing the conduct and safety
  of the public shall be filed with the department of state in the  manner
  provided by section one hundred two of the executive law. In the case of
  any  conflict  between  any  such  rule  or  regulation of the authority
  governing the conduct or  safety  of  the  public  and  any  local  law,
  ordinance,  rule or regulation, such rule or regulation of the authority
  shall prevail. Violation of any such rule or regulation of the authority
  governing the conduct or the  safety  of  the  public  in  or  upon  any
  facility  of  the  authority  shall  constitute  an offense and shall be
  punishable by fine not exceeding fifty dollars or imprisonment  for  not
  more than thirty days or both.
    5.  The authority may acquire, hold, own, lease, establish, construct,
  effectuate, operate, maintain, renovate, improve, extend or  repair  any
  of  its  facilities  through,  and  cause any one or more of its powers,
  duties, functions or activities to be exercised or performed by, one  or
  more  wholly  owned  subsidiary  corporations  of  the authority and may
  transfer to or from any such corporation any moneys,  real  property  or
  other  property  for any of the purposes of this title. The directors or
  members of each such subsidiary corporation shall be  the  same  persons
  holding  the  offices  of members of the authority. Each such subsidiary
  corporation and any of its property, functions and activities shall have
  all of the privileges, immunities, tax exemptions and  other  exemptions
  of  the  authority  and  of  the  authority's  property,  functions  and
  activities. Each such subsidiary corporation shall  be  subject  to  the
  restrictions  and  limitations  to  which  the authority may be subject.
  Each such subsidiary corporation shall be subject to suit in  accordance
  with  section thirteen hundred forty-one of this title. The employees of
  any such subsidiary corporation, except those who are also employees  of
  the authority, shall not be deemed employees of the authority.
    If  the  authority  shall determine that one or more of its subsidiary
  corporations should be in the form of a public benefit  corporation,  it
  shall  create  each  such  public  benefit  corporation by executing and
  filing with the secretary of state a certificate of incorporation, which
  may be amended from time to time by filing, which shall  set  forth  the
  name  of  such  public benefit subsidiary corporation, its duration, the
  location of its principal office, and any or  all  of  the  purposes  of
  acquiring,  owning,  leasing,  establishing, constructing, effectuating,
  operating, maintaining, renovating, improving,  extending  or  repairing
  one  or  more  facilities  of  the  authority.  Each such public benefit

  subsidiary corporation shall be a body politic and corporate  and  shall
  have  all those powers vested in the authority by the provisions of this
  title which the authority shall determine to include in its  certificate
  of incorporation except the power to contract indebtedness.
    Whenever  any  state, political subdivision, municipality, commission,
  agency, officer, department, board, division or person is authorized and
  empowered for any of the purposes of this title to cooperate  and  enter
  into  agreements  with  the authority such state, political subdivision,
  municipality, commission, agency, officer, department,  board,  division
  or  person  shall  have the same authorization and power for any of such
  purposes to cooperate  and  enter  into  agreements  with  a  subsidiary
  corporation of the authority.
    6.  The  authority,  in  its own name or in the name of the state, may
  apply for and receive and accept grants of property, money, services and
  other assistance  offered  or  made  available  to  it  by  any  person,
  government  or  agency  whatever,  which  it  may use to meet capital or
  operating expenses and for any other use within the scope of its powers,
  and to negotiate for the same upon such  terms  and  conditions  as  the
  authority may determine to be necessary, convenient or desirable.  In no
  event,  however,  shall  the authority submit to the United States or to
  the state of New York, or any agency  or  instrumentality  of  them,  an
  application  for a federal or state project unless the application shall
  have been first approved  by  the  commissioner  as  being  part  of  or
  consistent  with  such  statewide  plan, regional plan or transportation
  development policy and planning concept.
    7. The authority may do all things it deems necessary,  convenient  or
  desirable to manage, control and direct the maintenance and operation of
  transportation  facilities,  equipment  or  real property operated by or
  under contract, lease or other arrangement with the authority. Except as
  hereinafter   specially   provided,   no   municipality   or   political
  subdivision,  including but not limited to a county, city, village, town
  or school or other district shall have jurisdiction over any  facilities
  of  the  authority  or  any  of  its  activities or operations.   In the
  operation, maintenance and control of any facilities devoted to purposes
  other than  direct  transportation  purposes,  the  authority  shall  be
  subject   to   all   local  laws,  resolutions,  ordinances,  rules  and
  regulations  of  a   municipality   or   political   subdivision.   Each
  municipality  or  political  subdivision, including but not limited to a
  county, city, village, town or district in which any facilities  of  the
  authority are located shall provide for such facilities police, fire and
  health  protection services of the same character and to the same extent
  as those provided  for  residents  of  such  municipality  or  political
  subdivision.
    The  authority  may  agree with the state department of transportation
  for the execution by such department of any grade  crossing  elimination
  project  or  any  grade crossing separation reconstruction project along
  any railroad facility operated  by  the  authority  or  by  one  of  its
  subsidiary  corporations  or  under contract, lease or other arrangement
  with the authority. Any such project shall be executed  as  provided  in
  the  grade  crossing elimination act and the railroad law, respectively,
  and the costs of any such project shall be borne  as  provided  in  such
  laws.
    8.  The authority may accept unconditional grants of money or property
  as subsidy payments for expansion  of  service  into  areas  where  such
  service   would   not  be  self-supporting.  The  authority  may  accept
  unconditional grants of money or property from any city,  village,  town
  or  county  not  wholly contained within a city the whole or any part of
  which shall be served or to  be  served  by  a  transportation  facility

  operated by the authority. Such grants of money or property would be for
  the  purpose  of  assisting  the  authority  in  meeting  its capital or
  operating expenses. The acceptance of any such grant shall  not  operate
  to  make  the  authority an agency of the municipality making the grant.
  The provisions of this section are intended as enabling legislation only
  and shall not be interpreted as implying that absent their enactment  an
  authority would lack the power to accept such grant or subsidy.
    9.  Notwithstanding  any  of  the  above provisions, no project may be
  undertaken by the  authority  unless  such  project  is  a  part  of  or
  consistent with the action plan.