Except where different meanings are expressly specified in subsequent provisions of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

“Act” means the Gateway Development Commission act.

“Amtrak” means the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, a corporation organized under 49 U.S.C. § 24101 et seq. and the laws of the District of Columbia.

“Board” means the board of commissioners of the commission.

“Commission” shall mean the gateway development commission which is established pursuant to this act.

“Facilitate” means the planning, designing, financing, acquisition, development, redevelopment, expansion, construction, reconstruction, replacement, approval of works, lease, leaseback, licensing, consigning, asset management, optimization, rehabilitation, repair, alteration, improvement, extension, management, ownership, use and effectuation of the matters described in this act. “Facilitation” shall have a concomitant meaning.

“Full Funding” means the sum of commitments to fund, from sources deemed by the Commission to be creditworthy, plus Commission cash-on-hand, plus any institution of a tariff or an agreement to impose user fees not subject to further approvals (if any), plus such other sources of funding deemed certain to be available as and when required, found by the Commission to be sufficient to facilitate the project or a discrete component thereof which is beneficial to the public.

“Meeting” means any gathering, whether corporeal or by means of communication equipment, which is attended by, or open to, the Board, held with the intent, on the part of the commissioners present, to act as a unit upon the specific public business of the Commission. “Meeting” does not mean a gathering (i) attended by less than a quorum of commissioners; (ii) in which the board is engaged in ordinary course supervision of Commission staff; (iii) in which consideration of Commission business matters are informally discussed without the intent or effect of effectuating any action of the Commission; or (iv) attended by or open to all the members of three or more similar public bodies at a convention or similar gathering.

“Project” means a passenger rail transportation project between Penn Station, Newark, New Jersey and Penn Station, New York, New York currently referred to as the “Gateway Program” consisting of:

phase one of the Project including: the replacement of the existing Portal Bridge; the construction of a tunnel connecting the states of New York and New Jersey and the completion of certain ancillary facilities including construction of concrete casing at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York; the rehabilitation of the existing North River Tunnels; all Projects necessary to connect the aforesaid Projects to the contiguous Amtrak Northeast Corridor Facilities; and

phase two of the Project including: the Portal South Bridge Project; the Sawtooth Bridge replacement Project; the Secaucus Loop Project; the Secaucus Junction renovation and expansion Project; and the Penn Station South Project, and other related Projects, but only if such phase two projects are authorized pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between the Governor of New York, the Governor of New Jersey and Amtrak.

“Public business” means matters which relate in any way, directly or indirectly, to the performance of the functions of the Commission or the conduct of its business.

L.2019, c.195, s.3.