S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
4240--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
March 11, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sens. RITCHIE, CROCI, GRIFFO, MARTINS, VALESKY -- read
twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the
Committee on Local Government -- 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.
LBD09793-03-5
S. 4240--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.
S. 4240--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.
