The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4714
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 13, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations,  Authorities
   and Commissions
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  not-for-profit  corporation law, in relation to
   exempting the Southwood  Volunteer  Fire  Department,  Inc.  from  the
   requirement  that  the  percentage  of  non-resident  fire  department
   members not exceed forty-five percent of the membership
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subparagraph  3  of  paragraph (c) of section 1402 of the
 not-for-profit corporation law, as separately amended by  chapters  308,
 312 and 327 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   (3)  In towns outside of villages and fire districts, the consent of a
 majority of the members of the town board to the  formation  of  a  fire
 corporation  shall constitute an appointment of the persons named in the
 certificate of incorporation as  town  firefighters.  Thereafter,  other
 eligible  persons  may  be elected as members pursuant to the by-laws of
 the fire corporation, but the election of a member must be  approved  by
 the town board of each town which consented to the formation of the fire
 corporation.  Such  a person shall be a resident of the territory speci-
 fied in the certificate of incorporation or of  territory  outside  such
 boundaries  which  is  afforded  fire protection by the fire corporation
 pursuant to a contract for fire protection under which a cash  consider-
 ation  is  received  by  the  corporation  or for which negotiations for
 renewal of such a contract are pending. The membership of any  volunteer
 member  shall  terminate  when he or she ceases to be a resident of such
 inside or outside territory, except that the corporation  may  authorize
 his  or  her continued membership where he or she notifies the secretary
 of the fire corporation (a) that he or she plans to change  his  or  her
 residence to a territory which is not in such inside or outside territo-
 ry,  and  (b)  that by reason of his or her residence in the vicinity or
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08672-01-3

 S. 4714                             2
 
 his or her usual occupation he or she will be available to render active
 service as a volunteer firefighter in either such inside or such outside
 territory. Voting for  such  authorization  shall  be  pursuant  to  the
 by-laws.  Such  authorization shall not become effective unless approved
 by resolution of the town board of each  town  which  consented  to  the
 formation  of  the corporation. Any membership so continued shall termi-
 nate when the member can no longer meet the requirements of this subpar-
 agraph. A person who cannot meet  the  residence  requirements  of  this
 subparagraph  may  be  elected to membership as a volunteer member if by
 reason of his or her residence in the vicinity or his or her usual occu-
 pation he or she will be available to render active service as a  volun-
 teer  firefighter  in  such inside or outside territory. Voting for such
 election shall be pursuant to  the  by-laws.  Such  election  shall  not
 become effective unless approved by resolution of the town board of each
 town  which  consented to the formation of the corporation. Such member-
 ship shall terminate when the member can no longer meet the requirements
 of this subparagraph. The election or continuance of  any  person  as  a
 member  shall be deemed to have been approved by the town board pursuant
 to this subparagraph in the event that no action is taken  by  the  town
 board,  either  approving or disapproving, within forty days in the case
 of residents of the territory specified in the certificate  of  incorpo-
 ration  or of outside contract territory, and within seventy days in the
 case of all others, after service of written notice of such election  or
 continuance  of  membership shall have been made by the secretary of the
 corporation upon the town clerk,  either  personally  or  by  mail.  The
 membership  of any volunteer firefighter shall not be continued pursuant
 to this subparagraph, and persons who do not  reside  in  the  territory
 specified  in the certificate of incorporation or in territory protected
 pursuant to a contract for fire  protection  shall  not  be  elected  to
 membership,  if, by so doing, the percentage of such nonresident members
 in the fire corporation would exceed forty-five per centum of the actual
 membership thereof, provided, however, that the forty-five percent limit
 on non-resident members shall not apply to the membership of the Huguen-
 ot Fire Company, Inc., within the town of Deerpark,  Orange  county,  to
 the  membership  of  the Prospect Terrace Fire Company, Inc., within the
 town of Dickinson, Broome county, to membership of the  Hopewell  Volun-
 teer  Fire Department, Inc., to membership of the Wales Center Volunteer
 Fire Company, Inc., within the  town  of  Wales,  Erie  county,  to  the
 membership  of  the Nedrow Fire Department, within the town of Onondaga,
 Onondaga county, to the membership of the Howlett Hill Fire  Department,
 within  the  town of Onondaga, Onondaga county, TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE
 SOUTHWOOD VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC., WITHIN THE TOWN OF  ONONDAGA,
 ONONDAGA COUNTY, to the membership of the East Syracuse Fire Department,
 within  the  town  of  Dewitt, Onondaga county, to the membership of the
 Camillus Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., within the town  of  Camillus,
 Onondaga  county, to the membership of the Pleasant Square Fire Company,
 Inc. within the town of Johnstown, Fulton county, to the  membership  of
 the East Amherst Fire Department, Inc., within the town of Amherst, Erie
 county,  to  membership of the fire departments within the town of Flem-
 ing, Cayuga county or to membership of the Bushnell's Basin Fire Depart-
 ment, in the town of Perinton, Monroe county or  to  membership  of  the
 Salina  Consolidated  Fire  District #2, in the town of Salina, Onondaga
 county.  Nonresidents of the territory specified in the  certificate  of
 incorporation  whose volunteer membership has been authorized or contin-
 ued pursuant to this subparagraph may be elected  or  appointed  to  any
 office  in  the  fire corporation and shall have all the powers, duties,
 S. 4714                             3
 
 immunities, and privileges of resident volunteer members except  a  non-
 resident  of  this state whose membership has been continued pursuant to
 this subparagraph, or who was elected to  membership  pursuant  to  this
 subparagraph,  shall not be considered to be performing any firefighting
 duty, or to be engaged in any firefighting activity, as a member of  the
 fire  company  while he or she is outside of this state unless and until
 he or she has first reported to the officer or firefighter in command of
 his or her fire department, or any company, squad or other unit thereof,
 engaged or to be engaged in rendering service outside this state, or has
 received orders or authorization from an officer of the fire  department
 or  fire  company  to  participate  in  or  attend authorized activities
 outside of this state in the same manner as resident members of the fire
 company. A person shall not be eligible to volunteer membership  in  any
 other  fire  corporation  or fire company at one time. The provisions of
 this subparagraph shall not be deemed to authorize the election  or  the
 continuance  of  any  person  as  a  member  of  the corporation if such
 election or continuance of membership shall be contrary to the  by-laws,
 rules or regulations of the fire corporation.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.