Bill Text: NY A10745 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to reviews by the authorities budget office.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-07-17 - reported referred to rules [A10745 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A10745-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10745

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      July 9, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Thiele) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on  Corporations,  Authorities
          and Commissions

        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:
    18    3.  Every  financial  report  submitted  under  this  section shall be
    19  approved by the board and shall be certified, under penalty of  perjury,
    20  in  writing by the chief executive officer and the chief financial offi-
    21  cer of such authority that based on  the  officer's  knowledge  (a)  the
    22  information  provided  therein is accurate, correct and does not contain
    23  any untrue statement of material fact; (b) does not  omit  any  material

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15673-02-0

        A. 10745                            2

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

        A. 10745                            3

     1    (j)  commence  a special proceeding in supreme court, when it does not
     2  receive from a state or local authority upon request information, books,
     3  records or other documentation necessary to perform its duties,  seeking
     4  an order directing the production of the same[.]; and
     5    (k)  commence  an  action or special proceeding to annul the corporate
     6  existence or dissolve a corporation that has acted beyond  its  capacity
     7  or power or to restrain it from carrying on unauthorized activities.
     8    §  6.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     9  have become a law.
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