Bill Text: NY A09551 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requires members of a board of trustees of public, free association and Indian libraries to complete two hours of continuing education per year.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-24 - referred to libraries and education technology [A09551 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A09551-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9551

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 24, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. RYAN -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Libraries and Education Technology

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring members of a
          board of trustees of public, free association and Indian libraries  to
          complete two hours of continuing education per year

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

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  260-d
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 260-d. Board  of  trustees continuing education. 1. For the purposes
     4  of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    a. "Trustee education" shall mean the  instruction,  in-person  and/or
     6  online,  for members of a board of trustees of a registered public, free
     7  association or Indian library that addresses the powers,  functions  and
     8  duties  of  library  boards, the financial oversight, accountability and
     9  fiduciary responsibilities of library boards, and the  laws,  rules  and
    10  regulations that govern public, free association and Indian libraries.
    11    b.  "Annual  basis"  shall  mean  within  the twelve-month period of a
    12  member's full term of office, in accordance with the provisions  of  the
    13  library's enabling legislation, incorporation and board-approved bylaws.
    14    c.  "Approved  provider"  shall  mean  an  institution or organization
    15  designated as eligible to provide trustee education in  accordance  with
    16  the requirements of this section. Such approved providers shall include:
    17    (1) a public library system;
    18    (2) a state or national library association;
    19    (3) a state or national association of library trustees;
    20    (4) the department; and
    21    (5)  any  other institution or organization approved by the department
    22  or by the public library system of which the library is a member.
    23    2. a. Beginning January first, two thousand twenty-one,  each  member,
    24  elected  or  appointed,  of  a board of trustees of a registered public,
    25  free association or Indian library shall be required to complete a mini-
    26  mum of two hours of  trustee  education  on  an  annual  basis  from  an
    27  approved provider.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14593-02-0
        A. 9551                             2

     1    b.  Such  trustee education shall consist of instruction and/or activ-
     2  ities in the following subjects:
     3    (1) board development;
     4    (2) budget development and/or finances;
     5    (3) financial oversight;
     6    (4) human resources and personnel;
     7    (5) library board organization and meetings;
     8    (6) library policies;
     9    (7) state laws, rules and regulations that affect libraries;
    10    (8) public relations and advocacy;
    11    (9) strategic plan and related topics; and
    12    (10)  any  other  subject areas deemed relevant to the governance of a
    13  library.
    14    c. Such trustee education shall be delivered by an  approved  provider
    15  in an approved format, including:
    16    (1) in-person lectures, workshops, courses, seminars or institutes;
    17    (2)  live  or self-paced online lectures, workshops, courses, seminars
    18  or institutes;
    19    (3)  regional,  state  or  national  library  association   conference
    20  programs;
    21    (4) state or national library trustee association conference programs;
    22  and
    23    (5)  any  other  format  or combination of formats, as approved by the
    24  department or by the public library system of which  the  library  is  a
    25  member.
    26    3.  a.  Each member shall demonstrate compliance with the requirements
    27  of this section by filing with the president of the  board  of  trustees
    28  evidence  of  the  completion of at least two hours of trustee education
    29  from an approved provider.  Such  evidence  shall  include  one  of  the
    30  following:
    31    (1)  certificates of completion issued by one or more approved provid-
    32  ers; or
    33    (2) a signed self-assurance of completion. Such assurance shall  iden-
    34  tify  the  approved  trustee  education  providers, a description of the
    35  format and content of the completed instruction activities, the date and
    36  time such member began and completed each instruction  activity  and  an
    37  explanation  of  why  a certificate of completion was not available from
    38  such approved providers.
    39    b. The president of the board of trustees shall certify to the depart-
    40  ment on an annual basis that each member of the board has completed  the
    41  required  annual  hours  of  trustee education pursuant to this section.
    42  Such certification shall be submitted to the department  on  the  report
    43  required by section two hundred fifteen of this article.
    44    4.  a.  The  office  of any member of a board of trustees who fails to
    45  demonstrate compliance with the trustee  education  requirements  estab-
    46  lished  by this section for two consecutive years shall automatically be
    47  deemed vacant. Any member whose office has been  deemed  vacant  due  to
    48  failure  to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this section
    49  shall only be eligible (1) for reappointment to such  office  after  the
    50  expiration  of such member's vacated term, or (2) to run for such office
    51  again at the next election.
    52    b. Failure of the board of trustees of  any  registered  public,  free
    53  association  or  Indian  library  to  demonstrate  compliance  with  the
    54  requirements of this section shall be deemed  a  valid  reason  for  the
    55  rescinding or suspension of such library's registration.
        A. 9551                             3

     1    5.  If circumstances over which any public, free association or Indian
     2  library has no control prevent the board of trustees  from  meeting  the
     3  requirements  of  this section, such board may apply for a variance. The
     4  application for such variance shall be submitted to  the  department  by
     5  the public library system of which such board is a member and in a time-
     6  ly  manner as prescribed by the commissioner. No variance granted pursu-
     7  ant to this subdivision shall be deemed to relieve a public, free  asso-
     8  ciation  or  Indian library of any other obligation imposed by any other
     9  provisions of federal or state law.
    10    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.