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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Governor Cuomo’s Office. November 1, 2013:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that individuals who drive drunk with a conditional license will now face a felony, which is the same penalty for those who drive drunk with a revoked license. Prior to today, driving drunk with a conditional license was only a traffic infraction.

“Today, tough new laws are going into effect to keep drunk drivers off our roads,” Governor Cuomo said. “Strengthening Leandra’s Law and increasing penalties will continue the State’s efforts to keep dangerous and irresponsible drivers from getting behind the wheel and putting themselves and others at risk. Drinking and driving have no place in New York, and we will make sure those who break the law will be properly penalized for it.”

Conditional licenses are issued to drivers who lose their license for drunk driving but have enrolled in an alcohol and drug rehabilitation program run by the Department of Motor Vehicles. A conditional license may be used only for driving to and from essential destinations such as work, school, and medical appointments.

Also taking effect today are several provisions that strengthen Leandra’s Law, specifically those that deal with the required installation of an ignition interlock device on vehicles owned, or operated, by a person convicted of misdemeanor or felony driving while intoxicated or other alcohol-related offenses. Ignition interlock devices prevent a driver under the influence of alcohol from operating a motor vehicle.

Leandra’s Law, which took effect in December 2009, is named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who was killed in a crash while riding in a car driven by a drunken driver. In addition to the ignition interlock requirement, the law also made it a felony to drive drunk with a child under the age of 16 in a vehicle. Since the law took effect to October 22, 2013, more than 3,300 individuals across New York State have been arrested under Leandra’s Law.

The new provisions that take effect today:
· Limit the circumstances in which a court can waive the installation of an interlock device to only when a person under oath attests that he or she is not the owner of a motor vehicle and will not operate any vehicle during the period of the interlock restriction. Lying under oath would be considered perjury. As of June 2013, more than 14,000 drivers had ignition interlock devices installed in their vehicles.

· Clarify that youthful offenders are subject to the same ignition interlock requirements that are applicable to adults.

· Authorize the imposition of ignition interlock devices prior to sentencing as a preventive measure.

· Increase the minimum requirement for installation of an ignition interlock device from six months to one year.

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications with information from WPCNR. October 31, 2013:

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the award of a $1.58 billion  TIFIA  loan to the Thruway Authority for partial funding of the new Tappan Zee Bridge  at about 2 P.M. this afternoon:

“Approval of New York State’s request for this loan is great news for the tens of thousands of commuters who depend on the Tappan Zee every day, for communities in the Lower Hudson Valley, and for our entire state,” Governor Cuomo said. “This is a huge win for New York State, creating thousands of jobs, and an endorsement of one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in our history. It shows that despite over a decade of delay, New York can continue to build big. I thank Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx for his hard work helping New York secure this loan.”

The following is a statement from Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino regarding the federal government’s approval of a $1.58 billion loan to help finance construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge:

“I congratulate Governor Cuomo on this good news. The next step is how do we finance the rest of the bridge and the mass transit improvements to and from the bridge, while keeping tolls as low as possible. The governor has my full support to help the state come up with the best financing plans possible.”

The approval comes three days after Standard & Poor’s downgraded New York State Thruway Authority credit rating from A+ to A.

The S&P News Release on the downgrade said: “The downgrade reflects our view of the NYSTA’s (New York State Thruway Authority) significant increase in leverage and reliance  on frequent rate increases to maintain margins.

Joseph Pezzimenti, S&P Credit Analyst said: “Although we have a general idea of how much tolls will be increased to fund the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge and ongoing capital needs for the rest of the (thruway) system, the combination of the lack of a specific tolling plan and the potential for lower traffic levels at a time when the NYSTA will incread its leverage significantly led to the the downgrade.”

The lowering of the rating is expected to add millions to the cost of the thruway borrowing the  balance  of $2.7 BILLION more  to build the $4.2 Billion bridge, including loan costs.

The Federal Highway Agency took approximately one year to approve the loan during which time the TIFIA interest rate for a 35-year loan went from 3.1% a year to 3.62% as of today.“Approval of New York State’s request for this loan is great news for the tens of thousands of commuters who depend on the Tappan Zee every day, for communities in the Lower Hudson Valley, and for our entire state,” Governor Cuomo said. “This is a huge win for New York State, creating thousands of jobs, and an endorsement of one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in our history. It shows that despite over a decade of delay, New York can continue to build big. I thank Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx for his hard work helping New York secure this loan.”