STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6991
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 27, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. GIANARIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the religious corporations law, in relation to the court
approval process for the sale, mortgage and lease of real property of
a religious corporation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (d-1) of subdivision 1 of section 2-b of the
2 religious corporations law, as amended by chapter 193 of the laws of
3 1985, is amended to read as follows:
4 (d-1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or the not-for-
5 profit corporation law, any church referred to in subdivision two,
6 three, four, five, five-a, five-b, five-c, five-d or six of section
7 twelve of this chapter shall not be required to give notice to the
8 attorney general of any application required by subdivision one of
9 section twelve of this chapter or any application or petition required
10 under section five hundred ten or section five hundred eleven of the
11 not-for-profit corporation law.
12 § 2. Section 12 of the religious corporations law is amended by adding
13 a new subdivision 5-d to read as follows:
14 5-d. The trustees of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America shall
15 not make application to the court for leave to mortgage, lease or sell
16 any of its real property without the consent of its archbishop.
17 § 3. Subdivision 6 of section 12 of the religious corporations law, as
18 amended by chapter 381 of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as
19 follows:
20 6. The petition of the trustees of an incorporated Protestant Episco-
21 pal church or Roman Catholic church shall, in addition to the matters
22 required by article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set
23 forth therein, set forth that this section has also been complied with.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11305-01-5
S. 6991 2
1 The petition of the trustees of an incorporated African Methodist Epis-
2 copal Zion church shall in addition to the matters required by article
3 five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set
4 forth that this section has also been complied with. The petition of the
5 trustees of an incorporated Presbyterian church in connection with the
6 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), shall, in addition
7 to the matters required by article five of the not-for-profit corpo-
8 ration law to be set forth therein, set forth that this section has also
9 been complied with. The petition of the trustees of an incorporated
10 United Methodist church shall, in addition to the matters required by
11 article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth ther-
12 ein, set forth that this section has also been complied with. The peti-
13 tion of the trustees of an incorporated Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
14 America church shall, in addition to the matters required by article
15 five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set
16 forth that this section has also been complied with.
17 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
