S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  3193

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             March 12, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

AN ACT to amend the abandoned property law and the state technology law,
  in relation to unclaimed funds

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

  Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of section 1402 of the abandoned property
law, as added by chapter 261 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read  as
follows:
  1. (a) [The state comptroller shall publish:
  (i)  in  an  issue  of  the  state  bulletin published in the month of
September, nineteen hundred seventy-nine or  in  a  September,  nineteen
hundred  seventy-nine issue of another publication selected by the comp-
troller, a statement of abandoned property paid to and held by the state
for the period beginning on June first, nineteen  hundred  seventy-eight
and ending on November thirtieth, nineteen hundred seventy-eight;
  (ii)  in  an  issue  of  the  state bulletin published in the month of
March, nineteen hundred eighty, or in a March issue of another  publica-
tion selected by the comptroller, a statement of abandoned property paid
to  and  held  by  the state for the period beginning on December first,
nineteen hundred seventy-eight and ending on May thirty-first,  nineteen
hundred seventy-nine.
  (b)  In  each  succeeding]  EACH  September and March, the state comp-
troller shall publish[, in the manner provided for in paragraph  (a)  of
this  subdivision]  IN  A NEWSPAPER, AS PROVIDED BY SECTION ONE THOUSAND
FOUR HUNDRED TEN OF THIS ARTICLE, A STATEMENT OF ABANDONED PROPERTY PAID
TO AND HELD BY THE STATE, for the respective annual periods June  first,
through November thirtieth and December first, through May thirty-first.
  (B) EACH AND EVERY TIME THE COMPTROLLER PUBLISHES A STATEMENT PURSUANT
TO  PARAGRAPH  (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, HE OR SHE SHALL INCLUDE A NOTICE
THAT READERS MAY OBTAIN A LARGE PRINT COPY OF THE UNCLAIMED  FUNDS  LIST

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD09323-01-9
              

S. 3193                             2

BY  WRITING THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE OR HAVE A SEARCH CONDUCTED FOR THEM
BY CALLING A DESIGNATED NUMBER. THIS NOTICE MUST APPEAR IN TYPEFACE  AND
FONT-SIZE  ESTABLISHED  BY  THE  NEW YORK STATE OFFICE FOR TECHNOLOGY TO
ASSIST  THE  VISUALLY  IMPAIRED AND INCLUDE THE PHONE NUMBER AND MAILING
ADDRESS TO THE NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER, OFFICE OF
UNCLAIMED FUNDS.
  (c) The provisions of this subdivision shall not  apply  to  abandoned
property  paid  pursuant  to  section one thousand three hundred of this
chapter or section four hundred twenty-four of the vehicle  and  traffic
law.
  S  2.  Subdivision 1 of section 1416 of the abandoned property law, as
added by chapter 173 of the laws of 1980, is amended to read as follows:
  1. No agreement to locate property held by the comptroller pursuant to
this chapter shall be valid unless that agreement:
  (a) is in writing and signed by the property owner;
  (b) discloses the nature of the property; [and]
  (c) discloses the name and address of the holder; AND
  (D) INCLUDES LANGUAGE, ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE  COMPTROLLER,  STATING
THAT  THE  FUNDS  HELD  BY  THE  STATE CAN BE OBTAINED DIRECTLY FROM THE
OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER BY ITS OWNER WITHOUT PAYING  A  FEE  AND  THAT
THESE FUNDS WILL BE HELD INDEFINITELY.
  S  3.  Section  103 of the state technology law is amended by adding a
new subdivision 18 to read as follows:
  18. TO CONSULT WITH THE COMMISSION ON THE  BLIND  AND  VISUALLY  HAND-
ICAPPED TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FOR TYPEFACE AND
FONT SIZE TO ASSIST THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED.
  S  4.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
have become a law.