S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 6425--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                             March 24, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M.  of A. MAGEE, LUPARDO, SKOUFIS, FAHY -- read once and
  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Local   Governments   --   committee
  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
  to said committee

AN  ACT  to  amend the county law, in relation to community and economic
  vitality, environment and energy, nutrition and healthy families,  and
  youth  development  under  a  form  of organization and administration
  approved by Cornell university

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 8 of section 224 of the county
law,  as  amended by chapter 270 of the laws of 1973, is amended to read
as follows:
  (b) County or regional extension service association and its work.  In
each  county  or region of two or more counties of the state which shall
qualify under this subdivision to co-operate with Cornell university for
extending to the people of the state of New York, not enrolled  in  said
colleges,  the  educational  programs  of  the New York State College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences and the New York State  College  of  Human
Ecology  at Cornell university and subjects relating thereto, in cooper-
ation with the state, there shall be recognized and  may  be  created  a
subordinate  governmental  agency consisting of an unincorporated organ-
ization of citizens of the respective counties  interested  in  agricul-
ture,  [home  economics and community betterment] COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC
VITALITY, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, NUTRITION AND  HEALTHY  FAMILIES,  AND
YOUTH  DEVELOPMENT  under  a  form  of  organization  and administration
approved by Cornell university as agent for the state. It shall be known
as a county  or  regional  extension  service  association.  Cooperative
extension  work  in  a  county  may consist of programs in the fields of
agriculture, [home economics, 4-H and  community  betterment]  COMMUNITY
AND  ECONOMIC VITALITY, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, NUTRITION, HEALTHY FAMI-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD09793-04-5
              

A. 6425--A                          2

LIES AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.  References herein to the county or regional
association shall mean such an organization. Only one such  [associaton]
ASSOCIATION  shall  be recognized or formed in each county or, by formal
agreement,  two  or  more counties may join to form one regional associ-
ation to serve the several counties. The instrument providing  its  form
of  organization and administration shall be deemed its constitution. It
shall have a board of directors and the offices of president and  treas-
urer,  to  be  constituted  and filled as provided in such constitution,
which also shall regulate admission to and tenure of enrollment  in  the
organization.  The board of directors of any such association heretofore
or hereafter created may adopt such regulations  and  by-laws  governing
its  procedure  in  the work assigned to it as are not inconsistent with
the provisions of this subdivision. Subject  to  such  rules  and  regu-
lations  and  the constitution so approved, the president of the associ-
ation shall act for, as and in  the  name  of  the  association  in  all
matters  except  those  as  to  which  the treasurer is given powers and
duties. Civil actions or proceedings may be brought by  or  against  the
president  or treasurer, as such, of the association. A judgment against
them or either of them shall be enforceable only against funds or  prop-
erty  of the association. Such an association is hereby declared to be a
subordinate governmental agency  and  neither  the  county  nor  Cornell
university  nor any member, officer or director of the association shall
be liable in damages for any injury to person or property in  connection
with  the activities of the association the proximate cause of which was
not directly their or his fault or negligence.
  S 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 8 of section 224 of the county  law,
as  amended  by  chapter  621 of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as
follows:
  (d) For the support of cooperative extension programs and  subject  to
annual  appropriation by the legislature, there shall be annually appor-
tioned to each county  cooperative  extension  association  out  of  any
moneys in the state treasury appropriated therefor, fifty cents for each
dollar up to the first one hundred thousand dollars appropriated by such
county for cooperative extension activities during the state fiscal year
most  recently ended and five cents for each dollar appropriated by such
county for cooperative extension activities in  excess  of  one  hundred
thousand  dollars  during  the state fiscal year most recently ended. In
the case of a regional extension service association authorized by  this
section,  the  maximum  amount to be apportioned to any such association
shall be the sum of the maximum apportionments which would have  accrued
to  a  separate  association  in  each county included in the region. No
county cooperative extension association shall receive an  apportionment
of  funds under this section in an amount less than had been received in
the nineteen hundred ninety-five--ninety-six state fiscal year, provided
that the annual state appropriation is not less than  the  state  moneys
appropriated  in  the  nineteen  hundred  ninety-five--ninety-six  state
fiscal year. ADDITIONAL STATE ALLOCATIONS SHALL BE  DISTRIBUTED  TO  THE
COUNTY  ASSOCIATIONS  IN A PERCENTAGE PROPORTIONATE TO THEIR MOST RECENT
COUNTY APPROPRIATION, SUCH  APPROPRIATION  NOT  TO  INCLUDE  ANY  AMOUNT
ATTRIBUTED TO IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS, SERVICE AGREEMENTS, OR CONTRACTS.
  1. The entitlement of each association to state moneys annually appro-
priated  under  this  chapter is subject to the furnishing of equivalent
sums  from  county  appropriations.  ANNUAL  COUNTY  APPROPRIATIONS  MAY
INCLUDE  IN-KIND  CONTRIBUTIONS,  SERVICE AGREEMENTS, AND CONTRACTS WITH
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ASSOCIATIONS SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY CORNELL  UNIVER-
SITY.

A. 6425--A                          3

  2.  The  apportionments  provided pursuant to provisions of this para-
graph shall be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
  3.  The state apportionments provided for in this subdivision shall be
paid upon vouchers certified by Cornell university as follows:
  (i) For salaries of professional staff employed by the association;
  (ii) For salaries of staff employed by Cornell university when  admin-
istering,  furnishing  or  conducting  extension programs benefiting the
county under agreement with the association.
  4. All such payments shall be  made  in  accordance  with  the  annual
agreement between the association and Cornell university, which shall:
  (i)  Specify  the  amount  in  dollars to be expended for each of such
purposes and the amount in dollars to be  provided  from  apportionments
pursuant to this subdivision;
  (ii) Identify by titles the positions for which the salary is paid;
  (iii)  In  the  case  of salaries of agents jointly employed by two or
more county associations, and in the case of salaries of agents or other
personnel employed by Cornell university, in  furnishing  or  conducting
programs  which  are furnished or conducted in or for the benefit of two
or more counties, identify each of the county extension service  associ-
ations  against  whose account payments pursuant to this subdivision are
to be charged and the amount to be charged.
  S 3. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 8 of section 224 of the  county  law
is amended by adding a new subparagraph 7 to read as follows:
  (7) IN SUPPORT OF ITS OPERATIONS, RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
NEEDS,  AN ASSOCIATION MAY CONTRACT WITH ONE OR MORE ENTITIES, INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOT FOR  PROFITS
OR  FOR  PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE SERVICES, COMPENSATED OR UNCOM-
PENSATED, CONSISTENT WITH THIS SECTION. SUCH CONTRACTS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO
REVIEW BY CORNELL UNIVERSITY.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.