Bill Text: NY A09061 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to library and school district petitioning.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-31 - referred to education [A09061 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A09061-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9061

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 31, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  JEAN-PIERRE -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  library  and  school
          district  petitioning; and providing for the repeal of such provisions
          upon expiration thereof

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Subparagraph 1 of paragraph b of subdivision 1 of section
     2  259 of the education law, as amended by chapter 184 of the laws of 2007,
     3  is amended to read as follows:
     4    (1) Except as provided in subparagraph two of this paragraph, whenever
     5  qualified voters of a municipality, in a number equal to  at  least  ten
     6  per  centum  of  the total number of votes cast in such municipality for
     7  governor at the last gubernatorial election, shall so petition  and  the
     8  library board of trustees shall endorse, the question of establishing or
     9  increasing  the  amount  of  funding  of the annual contribution for the
    10  operating budget of a registered public or free association  library  by
    11  such municipality to a sum specified in said petition, shall be voted on
    12  at  the  next  general  election of such municipality, provided that due
    13  public notice of the proposed action shall have been given.  Except that
    14  for the year two thousand twenty-two, the number of qualified voters  of
    15  a  municipality  needed  to  petition  for purposes of this subparagraph
    16  shall be at least twenty-five. An increase in library  funding  provided
    17  pursuant to this paragraph shall not apply to a municipal budget adopted
    18  prior to the date of such election.
    19    §  2. Subdivision 8 of section 260 of the education law, as amended by
    20  chapter 717 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read as follows:
    21    8. Candidates for the office of trustee of  a  public  library  estab-
    22  lished and supported by a school district shall be nominated by petition
    23  which  shall meet the requirements of subdivision a of section two thou-
    24  sand eighteen of this chapter, except  that  such  candidates  shall  be
    25  elected  in the manner specified in subdivision b of such section except
    26  that the nominating petition filed pursuant to subdivision  a  or  b  of
    27  such  section shall be signed by a least twenty-five qualified voters of

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09470-05-2

        A. 9061                             2

     1  the library district, or two percent of the voters who voted in the last
     2  previous annual election of members of the library  board  of  trustees,
     3  whichever is greater.  Except that for the year two thousand twenty-two,
     4  nominating  petitions filed by candidates for the office of trustee of a
     5  public library established and supported by a school district  shall  be
     6  signed by at least twenty-five qualified voters of the library district.
     7  The  provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to a charter granted
     8  prior to April thirtieth, nineteen hundred seventy-one that provides for
     9  a different procedure.
    10    § 3. Subdivisions a and c of section 2018 of the education law, subdi-
    11  vision a as amended by chapter 148 of the laws of 1980 and subdivision c
    12  as amended by section 22 of part A of chapter 436 of the laws  of  1997,
    13  are amended to read as follows:
    14    a.  In  all  union  free school districts candidates for the office of
    15  member of the board of education shall be nominated  by  petition.  Each
    16  vacancy  upon  the board of education to be filled shall be considered a
    17  separate specific office. A separate petition shall be required to nomi-
    18  nate a candidate  to  each  separate  office.  Each  petition  shall  be
    19  directed  to  the  clerk  of  the school district, shall be signed by at
    20  least twenty-five qualified voters of the district, or  two  percent  of
    21  the  voters  who  voted  in  the [previous] two thousand nineteen annual
    22  election of the members of the board of education, whichever is greater,
    23  such number to be determined by the number of persons  recorded  on  the
    24  poll  list as having voted at such election shall state the residence of
    25  each signer, shall state the name and residence  of  the  candidate  and
    26  shall  describe the specific vacancy on the board of education for which
    27  the candidate is nominated, which description shall include at least the
    28  length of the term of office and the name of the last incumbent, if any.
    29  In the event that any such nominee shall withdraw his candidacy prior to
    30  the election, such person shall not be considered a candidate  unless  a
    31  new  petition  nominating  such person in the same manner and within the
    32  same time limitations applicable to other candidates is filed  with  the
    33  clerk of the district. Each petition shall be filed in the office of the
    34  clerk  of the district between the hours of nine a.m. and five p.m., not
    35  later than the thirtieth day preceding the school meeting or election at
    36  which the candidates nominated are to be elected.  No  person  shall  be
    37  nominated by petition for more than one separate office.
    38    c. In all common school districts, candidates for the office of member
    39  of  the  board of trustees shall be nominated by petition. Such petition
    40  shall not describe any specific vacancy on the board of  trustees.  Each
    41  petition shall be directed to the clerk of the school district and shall
    42  be  signed  by  at least twenty-five qualified voters of the district or
    43  two percent of the voters who voted in the [previous] two thousand nine-
    44  teen annual election of the members of the board of trustees,  whichever
    45  is  greater.  Such  a petition shall state the residence of each signer,
    46  and shall contain the name and residence of the candidate.
    47    § 4. Subdivision 1 of section 2608 of the education law, as amended by
    48  chapter 273 of the laws of 1987, is amended to read as follows:
    49    1. Candidates for members of the board of education in a  city  school
    50  district  shall be nominated by petition directed to the board of educa-
    51  tion and signed by at least [one hundred]  fifty  persons  qualified  to
    52  vote  at  school elections in such district. Such petition shall contain
    53  the names and residences of the candidates  for  the  vacancies  in  the
    54  board  of education to be filled at the annual election.  Where a propo-
    55  sition has been adopted by the voters of such district to  require  that
    56  each  vacancy on the board of education to be filled shall be considered

        A. 9061                             3

     1  a separate specific office, a separate petition  shall  be  required  to
     2  nominate  a  candidate  to  each separate office and such petition shall
     3  describe the specific vacancy on the board of education  for  which  the
     4  candidate  is  nominated,  which  description shall include at least the
     5  length of the term of office and the name of the last incumbent, if any.
     6  Such petitions shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the board of
     7  education between the hours of nine a.m. and five p.m., on or before the
     8  twentieth day preceding the day of the annual election. The clerk  shall
     9  refuse to accept petitions signed by an insufficient number of qualified
    10  voters,  or  petitions  which  are not timely. If a candidate for whom a
    11  nominating petition for the office of member of a board of education has
    12  been duly filed withdraws such petition, dies or becomes otherwise inel-
    13  igible to hold such office at a time which is later  than  fifteen  days
    14  before  the  last day for the filing of nominating petitions as provided
    15  in this subdivision, the time for filing nominating petitions  for  such
    16  office  shall  be  extended  to five p.m. on the fifteenth day after the
    17  date on which the candidate withdrew, died or otherwise became  ineligi-
    18  ble  to  hold such office, provided that no such nominating petition may
    19  be filed after five p.m. on the seventh day preceding the election.
    20    § 5. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 9 and subparagraph 1 of paragraph  d
    21  of subdivision 10 of section 2553 of the education law, paragraph (c) of
    22  subdivision 9 as amended by chapter 211 of the laws of 1980 and subpara-
    23  graph  1  of  paragraph d of subdivision 10 as amended by chapter 561 of
    24  the laws of 2019, are amended to read as follows:
    25    (c) Such  elections  for  such  officers  shall  be  governed  by  the
    26  provisions  of  the  election  law  in the same manner as candidates for
    27  office generally to be elected by the voters of the city  of  Rochester;
    28  provided,  however,  that  each such candidate shall be required to file
    29  petitions containing at least [one thousand] three hundred signatures.
    30    (1) Such election for such office shall be governed by the  provisions
    31  of the election law in the same manner as candidates for office general-
    32  ly  to  be elected by the voters of the city of Buffalo. Notwithstanding
    33  section 6-142 of the election law, each such candidate for election as a
    34  member of the board of education from a city school subdistrict shall be
    35  required to file a petition containing  signatures  of  at  least  [five
    36  hundred] three hundred registered voters of such city school subdistrict
    37  in  which he is a candidate and each candidate for election to the board
    38  of education by the voters at large shall be required to file a petition
    39  containing the signatures of  at  least  [one  thousand]  three  hundred
    40  registered voters of the city of Buffalo.
    41    §  6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire December
    42  31, 2022, when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed
    43  repealed.
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