Bill Text: NY A00504 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring the New York state design and construction corporation to meet and conduct all business at a public meeting and to making the minutes of such meetings available to the public.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A00504 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00504-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           504
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. ABINANTI -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
        AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the
          New York state design and construction corporation to meet and conduct
          all  business at a public meeting and making the minutes of such meet-
          ings available to the public
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authorities
     2  law, as amended by section 1 of part I of chapter  73  of  the  laws  of
     3  2016, is amended to read as follows:
     4    4.  General  powers and duties of the corporation. (a) The corporation
     5  shall have the power to:
     6    (i) Sue and be sued;
     7    (ii) Have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;
     8    (iii) Make and alter by-laws for its organization and internal manage-
     9  ment and make rules and regulations governing same;
    10    (iv) Assign such officers and employees from the officers and  employ-
    11  ees  of  the  authority,  as  it  may require for the performance of its
    12  duties and, for those officers and employees who are not represented  by
    13  a  recognized  employee organization, fix and determine their qualifica-
    14  tions, duties, and compensation;
    15    (v) Retain or employ counsel, auditors, private financial consultants,
    16  professional engineers or other technical consultants and other services
    17  on a contract basis or otherwise, for  the  rendering  of  professional,
    18  business or technical services and advice;
    19    (vi) Make and execute contracts and all other instruments necessary or
    20  convenient  for  the  exercise  of  its  powers and functions under this
    21  section;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05092-01-9
        A. 504                              2
     1    (vii) Engage the services of private consultants on a  contract  basis
     2  for  rendering  professional and technical assistance advice relating to
     3  covered projects;
     4    (viii)  Procure  insurance  against  any  loss  in connection with its
     5  activities, properties and other assets, in such amount  and  from  such
     6  insurance as it deems desirable; and
     7    (ix)  Invest  any  funds of the corporation, or any other monies under
     8  its custody and control not required for immediate use or  disbursement,
     9  at the discretion of the corporation, in obligations of the state or the
    10  United  States  government  or obligations the principal and interest of
    11  which are obligations in which the comptroller of the state  is  author-
    12  ized  to  invest  pursuant  to section ninety-eight of the state finance
    13  law.
    14    (b) The corporation shall be required to:
    15    (i) Meet and conduct all business at a public meeting;
    16    (ii) Be subject to the provisions of articles six and  seven  of  this
    17  chapter;
    18    (iii)  Consider  at  its  meetings  only items set forth on its agenda
    19  which shall be published five days in advance of a meeting on a  website
    20  accessible by the public; and
    21    (iv)  Record  minutes of all business conducted at said meetings which
    22  minutes shall be published within five  days  after  the  meeting  on  a
    23  website accessible to the public.
    24    (c)  The  corporation may do any and all things necessary to carry out
    25  and exercise the powers given and granted by this section.
    26    [(c)] (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, to the contrary,
    27  all state entities and their officers shall cooperate  with  the  corpo-
    28  ration in good faith and may implement the recommendations of the corpo-
    29  ration.
    30    §  2.  This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that
    31  the amendments to subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authori-
    32  ties law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal  of
    33  such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.