Senate Bill S3646B

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

                                  3646

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            February 8, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens.  MAZIARZ,  SAVINO, SEWARD, YOUNG -- read twice and
  ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
  Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation

AN  ACT  to  amend  the  arts  and  cultural affairs law, in relation to
  authorizing volunteer fire and ambulance companies to  receive  grants
  for local government records management improvement

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

  Section 1. The legislature finds that  volunteer  fire  and  ambulance
companies  perform  a  vital  function for the municipalities which they
serve, one that is essential to the health, safety, and welfare  of  all
persons  within  such  municipalities.  Such  functions  are therefore a
public purpose. Thus, the public records of volunteer fire and ambulance
companies are a matter of great importance and concern to the state  and
are  necessary  to  the  administration of the municipalities which they
serve. These public records document the legal responsibilities  of  the
volunteer  fire  and  ambulance  companies and the reciprocal rights and
liabilities of the municipalities  which  they  serve.  These  essential
public  records provide citizens and other public officials with a means
of monitoring the entitlements and obligation of municipalities and  the
expenditure  of public funds. In addition, such records also reflect the
historical development of the communities served by such volunteer  fire
and ambulance companies.
  Such  records  are  necessary  to  municipalities  in  connection with
service award programs for volunteer firefighters  and  volunteer  ambu-
lance  workers  pursuant  to  articles 11-A, 11-AA, 11-AAA, and 11-AAAA,
respectively, of the general municipal law. These  records  are  equally
necessary  in  connection with municipalities' obligations pertaining to
volunteer firefighters under article 10 of the general municipal law.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD07892-01-3

S. 3646                             2
              

  S 2. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 57.17 of the  arts  and  cultural
affairs law, as added by chapter 737 of the laws of 1987, are amended to
read as follows:
  1.  "Local  government"  means any county, city, town, village, school
district, board of cooperative  educational  services,  district  corpo-
ration,  public benefit corporation, public corporation, FIRE COMPANY AS
DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF THE  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTERS'  BENEFIT  LAW,
AMBULANCE COMPANY AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF THE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE
WORKERS'  BENEFIT  LAW, or other government created under state law that
is not a state department, division, board, bureau, commission or  other
agency, heretofore or hereafter established by law.
  3.  "Local  officer" shall mean and include a local officer as defined
in section two of the public officers law and any officer  of  a  public
benefit  corporation,  FIRE  COMPANY  AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF THE
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS' BENEFIT LAW, OR AMBULANCE COMPANY AS DEFINED  IN
SECTION THREE OF THE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE WORKERS' BENEFIT LAW.
  S  3.  The commissioner of education is hereby authorized and directed
to promulgate any rules  or  regulations  necessary  to  effectuate  the
provisions of this act.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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

                                 3646--A

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            February 8, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens.  MAZIARZ,  FELDER,  RANZENHOFER,  RITCHIE, SAVINO,
  SEWARD, YOUNG -- read twice and ordered printed, and when  printed  to
  be  committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and
  Recreation -- recommitted to the Committee on Cultural Affairs,  Tour-
  ism,  Parks and Recreation in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
  committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
  recommitted to said committee

AN  ACT  to  amend  the  arts  and  cultural affairs law, in relation to
  authorizing volunteer fire and ambulance companies to  receive  grants
  for local government records management improvement

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

  Section 1. The legislature hereby finds and  declares  that  volunteer
fire  companies and volunteer ambulance companies perform vital services
for the municipalities they serve. These not-for-profit volunteer  emer-
gency  response organizations serve a meaningful public purpose by help-
ing to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens.  Further,
these  organizations  work  collaboratively  with municipal officials in
their respective localities and help to reduce the burdens on our  local
governments.
  The records of volunteer fire companies and volunteer ambulance compa-
nies  are  important  since  they  indicate the relationship, rights and
responsibilities with respect to the communities they serve. And, proper
records management assists municipalities and emergency response  organ-
izations  with  their legal obligations under the general municipal law.
In addition, these records make appropriate information available to the
public and to municipal officials with respect  to  fire  and  emergency
services, and also reflect the historical development of the communities
served  by  such  volunteer  fire  and  ambulance  companies.  For these
reasons, the legislature hereby further finds and declares that not-for-
profit volunteer fire companies and volunteer ambulance companies should

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD07892-02-3
              

S. 3646--A                          2

be eligible for the records  management  improvement  grant  program  in
order to help them operate more effectively and efficiently in our local
communities.
  S  2.  Subdivisions  1 and 3 of section 57.17 of the arts and cultural
affairs law, as added by chapter 737 of the laws of 1987, are amended to
read as follows:
  1. "Local government" means any county, city,  town,  village,  school
district,  board  of  cooperative  educational services, district corpo-
ration, public benefit corporation, public corporation, FIRE COMPANY  AS
DEFINED  IN  SECTION ONE HUNDRED OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW, VOLUNTARY
AMBULANCE SERVICE AS DEFINED IN  SECTION  ONE  HUNDRED  OF  THE  GENERAL
MUNICIPAL LAW, or other government created under state law that is not a
state  department,  division, board, bureau, commission or other agency,
heretofore or hereafter established by law.
  3. "Local officer" shall mean and include a local officer  as  defined
in  section  two  of the public officers law and any officer of a public
benefit corporation, FIRE COMPANY AS DEFINED IN SECTION ONE  HUNDRED  OF
THE  GENERAL  MUNICIPAL  LAW,  VOLUNTARY AMBULANCE SERVICE AS DEFINED IN
SECTION ONE HUNDRED OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW.
  S 3. The commissioner of education is hereby authorized  and  directed
to  promulgate  any  rules  or  regulations  necessary to effectuate the
provisions of this act.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.