Bill Text: NY S00977 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Relates to reviews by the authorities budget office; grants the authorities budget office the authority to commence an action or special proceeding to annul the corporate existence or dissolve a corporation that has acted beyond its capacity or power; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-06-03 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S00977 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S00977-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         977--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. GAUGHRAN, COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to  the  Committee  on  Corporations,
          Authorities  and  Commissions  --  committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the public authorities law and the not-for-profit corpo-
          ration law, in relation to reviews by the authority budget office  and
          granting  the  authorities  budget office the authority to commence an
          action or special proceeding  to  annul  the  corporate  existence  or
          dissolve  a corporation that has acted beyond its capacity or power or
          to restrain it from carrying on unauthorized activities

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

     1    Section  1.  The  public  authorities  law  is amended by adding a new
     2  section 8 to read as follows:
     3    § 8. Reports of  public  authorities  by  authorities  budget  office;
     4  recommendations  for  corrective action. Whenever the authorities budget
     5  office issues a letter or report regarding the activities and operations
     6  of any public authority, the head of  the  public  authority  which  the
     7  letter or report was about shall submit a written response to the letter
     8  or  report within thirty days of the receipt of the letter or report. If
     9  the letter or report makes recommendations for corrective  action,  such
    10  head  shall  report within one hundred eighty days after receipt thereof
    11  to the authorities budget office what steps were taken to implement such
    12  recommendations, and, where recommendations were  not  implemented,  the
    13  reasons  therefor. Failure to comply with the provisions of this section
    14  shall make the authority delinquent in its reporting requirements.
    15    § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 2800 of the public authorities  law,  as
    16  amended  by  chapter  766  of  the  laws  of 2005, is amended to read as
    17  follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03819-02-1

        S. 977--A                           2

     1    3. Every financial  report  submitted  under  this  section  shall  be
     2  approved  by the board and shall be certified, under penalty of perjury,
     3  in writing by the chief executive officer and the chief financial  offi-
     4  cer  of  such  authority  that  based on the officer's knowledge (a) the
     5  information  provided  therein is accurate, correct and does not contain
     6  any untrue statement of material fact; (b) does not  omit  any  material
     7  fact  which,  if  omitted,  would  cause  the financial statements to be
     8  misleading in light of the circumstances under which such statements are
     9  made; and (c) fairly presents in all  material  respects  the  financial
    10  condition and results of operations of the authority as of, and for, the
    11  periods  presented  in  the financial statements.  A knowing and willful
    12  violation of this section shall constitute perjury in the third degree.
    13    § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 2824 of the public authorities  law,  as
    14  added by section 766 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
    15    2.  (a) Individuals appointed to the board of a public authority shall
    16  participate in state approved training regarding their legal, fiduciary,
    17  financial and ethical responsibilities  as  directors  of  an  authority
    18  within  one  year of appointment to a board. Board members shall partic-
    19  ipate in such continuing training as may be required to remain  informed
    20  of  best  practices,  regulatory  and  statutory changes relating to the
    21  effective oversight of the management and financial activities of public
    22  authorities and to adhere to the highest standards of responsible gover-
    23  nance.
    24    (b) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a member in non-com-
    25  pliance with the requirements set forth in this section shall be subject
    26  to the enforcement powers of the authorities  budget  office,  including
    27  but  not  limited to removal from the board of said public authority. If
    28  an individual appointed to the board of  a  public  authority  does  not
    29  complete their state approved training pursuant to paragraph (a) of this
    30  subdivision  the authority budget office shall notify said individual of
    31  their official suspension as a board member. The suspension shall be for
    32  a period of three months and shall commence  with  receipt  of  official
    33  notice  of  the suspension by the authorities budget office. The suspen-
    34  sion shall be terminated  if  such  individual  completes  the  required
    35  training  within  the  three month suspension period. If such individual
    36  fails to complete the required training within the three  month  suspen-
    37  sion  period,  the  authorities  budget office may remove the individual
    38  from the public authority board.
    39    (c) An individual that has been removed from a public authority  board
    40  by  the  authorities  budget  office  pursuant  to paragraph (b) of this
    41  subdivision, may only be reinstated to that public authority board  once
    42  they provide the authorities budget office with official notice confirm-
    43  ing  the training requirements set forth in paragraph (a) of this subdi-
    44  vision have been met.
    45    § 4. Section 104 of the not-for-profit corporation law is  amended  by
    46  adding a new paragraph (h) to read as follows:
    47    (h) If an instrument which is delivered to the department of state for
    48  filing  relates  to  a  not-for-profit  corporation  created pursuant to
    49  section fourteen hundred eleven of this chapter or to an entity that may
    50  be deemed a local authority as defined by subdivision two of section two
    51  of the public authorities law, the   department of state  shall  review,
    52  make, certify and transmit electronically a copy of each such instrument
    53  relating to local economic development to the authorities budget office.
    54    §  5.  Paragraphs  (i)  and  (j)  of subdivision 2 of section 6 of the
    55  public authorities law, as added by chapter 506 of the laws of 2009, are
    56  amended and a new paragraph (k) is added to read as follows:

        S. 977--A                           3

     1    (i) compel any authority which is deemed to be in non-compliance  with
     2  this title and title one of this article or article nine of this chapter
     3  to  submit  to  the  authorities budget office a detailed explanation of
     4  such failure to comply; [and]
     5    (j)  commence  a special proceeding in supreme court, when it does not
     6  receive from a state or local authority upon request information, books,
     7  records or other documentation necessary to perform its duties,  seeking
     8  an order directing the production of the same[.]; and
     9    (k)  commence  an  action or special proceeding to annul the corporate
    10  existence or dissolve a corporation that has acted beyond  its  capacity
    11  or power or to restrain it from carrying on unauthorized activities.
    12    §  6.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    13  have become a law.
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