Senate Bill S3060

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

                                  3060

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             March 10, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens.  SEWARD, VOLKER -- read twice and ordered printed,
  and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

AN ACT in relation to creating a state civil air patrol board

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

  Section  1.  Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited and
referred to as the "New York state civil air patrol act".
  S 2. Declaration of purposes and findings. The legislature  finds  and
declares  that  by  act  of  the eightieth congress (Public Law 557) the
civil air patrol was designated as the civilian auxiliary of the  United
States air force; that the secretary of said air force was authorized to
direct  the  civil  air  patrol  to perform certain non-combatant flying
missions in the interest of national defense  and  the  public  welfare;
that civil air patrol volunteers fly approximately seventy-eight percent
of  the total hours and continental limits of the United States (and all
search and rescue missions in the state of New York); that  in  addition
to its search and rescue operations, ground observer corps missions, and
radar  flight  tests, the civil air patrol engages in missions involving
the patrol of forests,  pipelines,  flooded  areas  and  other  disaster
areas,  and  in  the transportation of critical parts and supplies; that
the civil air patrol is engaged in the pre-flight training  of  fourteen
to eighteen year old boys and girls; that the New York wing of civil air
patrol  has  at  its disposal hundreds of trained and licensed aeroplane
pilots and observers as well as hundreds of privately-owned and  govern-
ment  "on  loan"  aircraft,  as  well as communication facilities, power
plants and mobile equipment, together with a trained staff  of  communi-
cation  personnel;  that the services and equipment of the New York wing
of civil air patrol have been and are available for use by the state  of
New  York  in  missions assisting civil defense and any other mission in
the interest of the public safety, health and general welfare and should
be utilized to their maximum extent; that the utilization of the trained

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD03438-01-9
              

S. 3060                             2

manpower and equipment of civil air patrol will provide  the  people  of
the  state  of New York, at a nominal cost, with forest fire protection,
disaster relief service, guaranteed communications, air  to  ground  and
ground  to  air,  and aircraft emergency assistance for  all state agen-
cies; that the maximum use by the state of New York of the facilities of
civil air patrol will encourage its cadet training program; that  action
by the legislature to utilize the civil air patrol and its vast manpower
and equipment is declared to be necessary.
  S 3. State civil air patrol board established. There is hereby created
and  established  in the state emergency management office in the execu-
tive department a state agency to be known as the New York  state  civil
air patrol board.
  S  4.  Organization. 1. The state civil air patrol board shall consist
of seven ex-officio members and three members appointed by the governor.
The ex-officio members shall be as follows: the director  of  the  state
emergency  management  office,  the adjutant general of the state of New
York, as an additional duty of his or her office; and  five  members  of
the  civil  air  patrol, New York wing, appointed by the director of the
state emergency management office  and  three  other  members  shall  be
appointed  by  the  governor  of  New York state. The chair of the board
shall be ex-officio the wing commander of the New York wing of civil air
patrol. The members of said board appointed by the governor shall  serve
for  terms  of two years from and after their appointment or until their
successors are duly appointed and qualified. The governor shall fill all
vacancies occurring in the appointive members of said board. The  gover-
nor  may,  however,  at  his  or her pleasure, remove any member of said
board appointed by him or her.
  2. The members of the board shall serve without compensation.
  3. The board shall employ such  clerical,  technical  and  supervisory
assistants as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this act
and  to  procure the most efficient use of the equipment and services of
the civil air patrol.
  4. The board shall meet at such times as the chair may direct.  If the
chair is unable to discharge the duties of his or her office, the  vice-
chair  shall  discharge  such  duties.  A majority of the members of the
board shall constitute a quorum.
  S 5. Functions, powers and duties of the board. The  state  civil  air
patrol board shall be authorized and empowered to:
  1.  Make such reasonable rules and regulations as may be necessary for
the proper operation of the said agency.
  2. Cooperate with agencies established by or pursuant to laws  of  the
United  States and of the state of New York to promote the state defense
effort and to provide to any state agency communications,  rescue  work,
mercy  missions,  aerial  observation  or  any other function within the
scope and activity of the civil air patrol.
  3. To have all other powers which may be reasonably implied  from  the
granting  of  express  powers herein, together with such other powers as
may be incident to or necessary for the carrying out and the performance
of the powers and duties herein given to said board.
  4. Report to the governor and to the legislature concerning its activ-
ities at least once a year and whenever requested.
  S 6. This act shall take effect immediately.