27:1D-3. Selection of demonstration projects

3. a. Commencing with the fiscal year beginning after the effective date of this act and for the next four succeeding fiscal years, the commissioner is authorized to select up to seven transportation projects from the list of transportation projects for which monies have been appropriated in the annual appropriations acts for those five fiscal years to serve as demonstration projects. No more than seven demonstration projects shall be selected by the commissioner pursuant to this act.

b. Selection by the commissioner of demonstration projects pursuant to subsection a. of this section which are public transportation projects shall be made with the approval of the board of the corporation.

c. If a transportation project is not listed in the annual appropriations acts, the commissioner may submit that project as a demonstration project to the Legislature for approval. The commissioner shall make the submission to the Legislature to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly on a day when both houses are meeting. The President and the Speaker shall cause the date of submission to be entered upon the Senate Journal and the Minutes of the General Assembly, respectively. Unless the project as described in the submission is disapproved by adoption of a concurrent resolution to this effect by the affirmative vote of a majority of the authorized membership of both houses within the time period prescribed in this subsection, the project shall be deemed approved and the public partner shall be authorized to undertake the project. The time period shall commence on the day of submission and expire on the forty-fifth day after submission or for a house not meeting on the forty-fifth day, on the next meeting day of that house.

d. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, demonstration projects shall be subject to the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee or its successor.

L.1997,c.136,s.3.