S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9345
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               March 6, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Local Governments
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  not-for-profit  corporation law, in relation to
   exempting the Varna Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., from the  forty-five
   percent limit on non-resident members
 
   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 383,
 424, 431 and 463 of the laws of 2023, 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
 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
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14654-01-4
 A. 9345                             2
 
 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  the membership of the Crittenden Volunteer Fire Department,
 Inc., within the town of Alden, Erie county, to membership of  the  fire
 departments  within the town of Fleming, Cayuga county, to membership 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, TO  THE  MEMBERSHIP
 OF  THE  VARNA  VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY, INC., WITHIN THE TOWN OF DRYDEN,
 TOMPKINS COUNTY, to the membership of the Leeds Hose Company No. 1, Inc.
 within the town of Catskill, Greene county or to membership of the Sali-
 na Consolidated Fire District #2, in the town of Salina, Onondaga  coun-
 ty. Nonresidents of the territory specified in the certificate of incor-
 poration  whose  volunteer  membership  has been authorized or continued
 pursuant to this subparagraph may be elected or appointed to any  office
 A. 9345                             3
 
 in  the  fire corporation and shall have all the powers, duties, immuni-
 ties, 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 subpara-
 graph,  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.