S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5361
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               March 7, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. GOODELL -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Local Governments
 
 AN ACT to amend the  not-for-profit  corporation  law,  in  relation  to
   exempting  the  East  Dunkirk  Volunteer  Fire  Company, 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
 his or her usual occupation he or she will be available to render active
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04003-01-3
              

 A. 5361                             2
 
 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
 East Syracuse Fire Department, within the town of Dewitt, Onondaga coun-
 ty,  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 Fleming, Cayuga county [or],  to  member-
 ship  of  the Bushnell's Basin Fire Department, in the town of Perinton,
 Monroe county, TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF  THE  EAST  DUNKIRK  VOLUNTEER  FIRE
 COMPANY,  INC.    WITHIN  THE  TOWN  OF DUNKIRK, CHAUTAUQUA 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 author-
 ized  or  continued  pursuant  to  this  subparagraph  may be elected or
 appointed to any office in the fire corporation and shall have  all  the
 powers, duties, immunities, and privileges of resident volunteer members
 A. 5361                             3
 
 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 fire-
 fighting  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 fire-
 fighter 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.