Relates 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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6425--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 24, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAGEE, LUPARDO, SKOUFIS, FAHY -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Local Governments -- 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:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 8 of section 224 of the county
2 law, as amended by chapter 270 of the laws of 1973, is amended to read
3 as follows:
4 (b) County or regional extension service association and its work. In
5 each county or region of two or more counties of the state which shall
6 qualify under this subdivision to co-operate with Cornell university for
7 extending to the people of the state of New York, not enrolled in said
8 colleges, the educational programs of the New York State College of
9 Agriculture and Life Sciences and the New York State College of Human
10 Ecology at Cornell university and subjects relating thereto, in cooper-
11 ation with the state, there shall be recognized and may be created a
12 subordinate governmental agency consisting of an unincorporated organ-
13 ization of citizens of the respective counties interested in agricul-
14 ture, [home economics and community betterment] community and economic
15 vitality, environment and energy, nutrition and healthy families, and
16 youth development under a form of organization and administration
17 approved by Cornell university as agent for the state. It shall be known
18 as a county or regional extension service association. Cooperative
19 extension work in a county may consist of programs in the fields of
20 agriculture, [home economics, 4-H and community betterment] community
21 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.
LBD09793-04-5
A. 6425--A 2
1 lies and youth development. References herein to the county or regional
2 association shall mean such an organization. Only one such [associaton]
3 association shall be recognized or formed in each county or, by formal
4 agreement, two or more counties may join to form one regional associ-
5 ation to serve the several counties. The instrument providing its form
6 of organization and administration shall be deemed its constitution. It
7 shall have a board of directors and the offices of president and treas-
8 urer, to be constituted and filled as provided in such constitution,
9 which also shall regulate admission to and tenure of enrollment in the
10 organization. The board of directors of any such association heretofore
11 or hereafter created may adopt such regulations and by-laws governing
12 its procedure in the work assigned to it as are not inconsistent with
13 the provisions of this subdivision. Subject to such rules and regu-
14 lations and the constitution so approved, the president of the associ-
15 ation shall act for, as and in the name of the association in all
16 matters except those as to which the treasurer is given powers and
17 duties. Civil actions or proceedings may be brought by or against the
18 president or treasurer, as such, of the association. A judgment against
19 them or either of them shall be enforceable only against funds or prop-
20 erty of the association. Such an association is hereby declared to be a
21 subordinate governmental agency and neither the county nor Cornell
22 university nor any member, officer or director of the association shall
23 be liable in damages for any injury to person or property in connection
24 with the activities of the association the proximate cause of which was
25 not directly their or his fault or negligence.
26 § 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 8 of section 224 of the county law,
27 as amended by chapter 621 of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as
28 follows:
29 (d) For the support of cooperative extension programs and subject to
30 annual appropriation by the legislature, there shall be annually appor-
31 tioned to each county cooperative extension association out of any
32 moneys in the state treasury appropriated therefor, fifty cents for each
33 dollar up to the first one hundred thousand dollars appropriated by such
34 county for cooperative extension activities during the state fiscal year
35 most recently ended and five cents for each dollar appropriated by such
36 county for cooperative extension activities in excess of one hundred
37 thousand dollars during the state fiscal year most recently ended. In
38 the case of a regional extension service association authorized by this
39 section, the maximum amount to be apportioned to any such association
40 shall be the sum of the maximum apportionments which would have accrued
41 to a separate association in each county included in the region. No
42 county cooperative extension association shall receive an apportionment
43 of funds under this section in an amount less than had been received in
44 the nineteen hundred ninety-five--ninety-six state fiscal year, provided
45 that the annual state appropriation is not less than the state moneys
46 appropriated in the nineteen hundred ninety-five--ninety-six state
47 fiscal year. Additional state allocations shall be distributed to the
48 county associations in a percentage proportionate to their most recent
49 county appropriation, such appropriation not to include any amount
50 attributed to in-kind contributions, service agreements, or contracts.
51 1. The entitlement of each association to state moneys annually appro-
52 priated under this chapter is subject to the furnishing of equivalent
53 sums from county appropriations. Annual county appropriations may
54 include in-kind contributions, service agreements, and contracts with
55 cooperative extension associations subject to review by Cornell univer-
56 sity.
A. 6425--A 3
1 2. The apportionments provided pursuant to provisions of this para-
2 graph shall be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
3 3. The state apportionments provided for in this subdivision shall be
4 paid upon vouchers certified by Cornell university as follows:
5 (i) For salaries of professional staff employed by the association;
6 (ii) For salaries of staff employed by Cornell university when admin-
7 istering, furnishing or conducting extension programs benefiting the
8 county under agreement with the association.
9 4. All such payments shall be made in accordance with the annual
10 agreement between the association and Cornell university, which shall:
11 (i) Specify the amount in dollars to be expended for each of such
12 purposes and the amount in dollars to be provided from apportionments
13 pursuant to this subdivision;
14 (ii) Identify by titles the positions for which the salary is paid;
15 (iii) In the case of salaries of agents jointly employed by two or
16 more county associations, and in the case of salaries of agents or other
17 personnel employed by Cornell university, in furnishing or conducting
18 programs which are furnished or conducted in or for the benefit of two
19 or more counties, identify each of the county extension service associ-
20 ations against whose account payments pursuant to this subdivision are
21 to be charged and the amount to be charged.
22 § 3. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 8 of section 224 of the county law
23 is amended by adding a new subparagraph 7 to read as follows:
24 (7) In support of its operations, research and educational programming
25 needs, an association may contract with one or more entities, including
26 but not limited to federal, state, or local government, not for profits
27 or for profit organizations to provide services, compensated or uncom-
28 pensated, consistent with this section. Such contracts are subject to
29 review by Cornell university.
30 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
