NY Gov. Paterson Signs 68 Bills Into Law

Focusing On Protecting Children And Families, Encouraging Economic And Job Development; Vetoes 14 Bills Representing More than $5.4 Million in Savings for 2009-10

August 27, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson this week signed a total 68 bills that together will lead to economic and job development opportunities for New Yorkers; keep children and families safer; and ensure that the State’s roads are more secure. Additionally, he vetoed 14 bills that, if signed, would have cost taxpayers some $5.4 million dollars.

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The signed bills include Amanda’s Law (A6093A / C.367), which mandates that certain homes install carbon monoxide detectors. Previously, only homes built or bought after July 30, 2002, were required to install these devices. The law is named for 16-year-old Amanda Hansen of West Seneca, New York, who died January 17, 2009, due to a carbon monoxide leak from a defective boiler while she was sleeping at a friend’s house.

“Amanda’s Law will prevent future tragedies like the one that took Amanda Hansen’s life far too soon,” Governor Paterson said. “This legislation will create safer homes for New Yorkers, and I encourage all New Yorkers to check install these devices and regularly check to make sure they are working.”

The Governor also signed into law a bill (A.8568B / C.403) that prohibits using portable electronic devices, such as cell phones and smart phones, to send text messages or e-mails while driving. Research has shown that texting while driving is extremely dangerous. Because of these dangers, 17 states have already passed laws banning texting while driving for all drivers, while nine states ban texting for new drivers.

“The risks associated with texting while driving are well documented,” Governor Paterson added. “As we learn more and more about just how dangerous this practice can be, I urge all New Yorkers to drive with caution and get in the habit of putting their cell phones away while driving to protect their own lives and the lives of others.”

The complete list of bills signed by Governor Paterson includes:
A.904A / C.348: Sets forth an order of priority for organ donation and consent for such organ donation
A.1122 / C.349: Relates to intervenor funds for proceedings relating to siting of major utility transmission facilities
A.1544B / C.350: Makes provisions for the construction and financing of facilities to be located on the campus of the United States Merchant Marine Academy
A.2021B / C.351: Provides that certain workers' compensation payments may be made in one lump sum without commutation to a present value amount
A.2201A / C.352: Creates one-stop regional economic development and regulatory compliance assistance
A.2239 / C.353: Exempts from real property taxation real property owned by a person certified to receive a United States department of veterans affairs disability pension
A.2311A / C. 354: Prohibits the online posting of the home address or location of a day care provider's home without providing a prior opt out option to such providers
A.2442C / C.355: Relates to residential micro-combined heat and power generating equipment
A.2756A /C.356: Authorizes filing of application for real property tax exemption by village of Sloatsburg
A.2757 / C.357: Authorizes the Rockland Housing Action Coalition, Inc. to file an application for a real property tax exemption
A.3337A / C.358: Authorizes the city of Schenectady to accept an application for real property tax exemption from Schenectady Day Nursery
A.3639C / C.359: Requires utility corporations, energy service companies, municipalities, telephone corporations and cable television companies to provide large print versions of billing information
A.4091 / C.360: Requires certain state agencies, departments or authorities to establish mentor-protégé programs for small, minority, and women-owned businesses
A.4097 / C.361: Expands the membership of small-business and minority and women-owned business advisory boards; powers and duties of divisions for development
A.4216 / C.362: Relates to the term valuable consideration as it relates to the prohibition of sales and purchases of human organs
A.4218 / C.363: Permits a solvent cemetery corporation to assume responsibility for the maintenance of an abandoned cemetery and makes funds available from the state cemetery fund
A.4710 / C.364: Allows town court proceedings for the towns of Elba, Oakfield and Batavia to be held in the town of Elba, Oakfield or Batavia or the city of Batavia
A.4749 / C.365: Relates to the distribution of surcharges on off-track winnings
A.5807 / C.366: Permits Nigam Agam Sugam Sharnam, Inc., to file an application for a real property tax exemption
A6093A / C.367: Establishes Amanda's law requiring certain residences to have installed an operable carbon monoxide detector
A.6329B / C.368: Authorizes the Albany Housing Authority to sell or lease all or a part of the project known as the "Ezra Prentice Homes"
A.6361C / C.369: Relates to construction and financing of facilities by dormitory authority for Alliance of Long Island Agencies, Inc.
A.6473 / C.370: Authorizes Congregation Khal Torath Chaim of Rockland to file an application for a real property tax exemption
A.6818A / C.371: Creates a residential care off-site demonstration project
A.6963 / C.372: Strengthens wage and hour protections for working people
A.7019A / C.373: Authorizes the town board of the town of Byron, in the county of Genesee, to diminish the area of the Byron sewer district
A.7090 / C.374: Provides that the person holding the title of clerk to justice in the town of Windsor need not be an elector of such town
A.7092A / C.375: Provides that the person holding the title of building inspector/code enforcement in the town of Windsor, county of Broome need not be an elector of such town
A.7148 / C.376: Authorizes the United Methodist Church to file an application for retroactive real property tax exempt status
A.7185A / C.377: Authorizes the increase of the number of trustees on the Mamakating library district board from five trustees up to fifteen trustees
A.7201A / C.378: Authorizes Bethel A.M.E. Church to file an application for real property tax exemption
A.7220 / C.379: Authorizes Mosdos Sanz Klausenburg of Monsey to file an application for a real property tax exemption
A.7246B / C.380: Enacts the state green building construction act; repealer
A.7260 / C.381: Grants poundage to the sheriff upon a settlement, when a property execution has been issued and the property has been levied against
A.7261A / C.382: Limits adjusted homestead and non-homestead adjusted base proportions in assessing real estate taxes in the county of Nassau
A.7420A / C.383: Relates to owner liability for failure of operator to comply with traffic control indications in the city of Syracuse
A.7664 / C.384: Allows special assessing units besides cities to adjust their current base proportions based on such special assessing unit's 2009 assessment roll
A.7698 / C.385: Requires the elimination of the use of the term "oriental" in documents utilized by state agencies, public authorities and municipalities when referring to persons of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage
A.7750A / C.386: Authorizes the town of Ramapo to file an application for exemption from real property taxes for a certain parcel of land located in the town of Ramapo, county of Rockland
A.7775A / C.387: Authorizes the town of Ramapo to file an application for exemption from real property taxes for a certain parcel of land located in the town of Ramapo, county of Rockland
A.7838A / C.388: Permits Adelante of Suffolk County, Inc. to file an application for a real property tax exemption
A.7967A / C.389: Establishes the statutory New York main street program
A.7993 / C.390: Authorizes members of the police and fire retirement system in a 20 year plan, with prior employees' retirement system credit, to transfer credit and membership
A.8007A / C.391: Authorizes the city of New York to reconvey a parcel of land to the Greentree Homeowners Association
A.8017 / C.392: Extends provisions of law relating to establishing a task force on the utilization of retired horses
A.8019A / C.393: Authorizes the city of Elmira to offer an optional twenty year retirement plan to certain police officers employed by such city
A.8186A / C.394: Relates to the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway
A.8210 / C.395: Amends the navigation law to clarify the continuity of a deck of a vessel for the determination of pilotage units used in calculating pilotage fees
A.8219 / C.396: Authorizes the commissioner of education to impose a 15% surcharge on any professional fee imposed that is subject to deposit in the office of professions account
A.8228 / C.397: Implements a provision in a collective bargaining agreement between the state university construction fund and an employee organization relating to unused sick leave
A.8272 / C.398: Authorizes the town of Marlborough, in the county of Ulster, to dissolve and discontinue the Applewood drainage district
A.8294 / C.399: Relates to computation of sales and compensating use taxes on modular home modules
A.8310A / C.400: Relates to certain payments to the horsemen's organization
A.8329 / C.401: Authorizes the commissioner of general services to transfer and convey certain land to the Kings Park fire district
A.8339A / C.402: Authorizes the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island to file an application for a real property tax exemption with the assessor of the county of Nassau
A.8568B / C.403: Relates to the graduated licensing program; repeals section 503-a of the vehicle and traffic law; bans texting while driving
A.8588 / C.404: Authorizes Steven Roy to file for retroactive membership in the optional twenty year retirement plan of the New York state and local police and fire retirement system
A.8612A / C.405: Relates to requiring children under the age of 8 to be restrained by a child restraint system in a motor vehicle
A.8643 / C.406: Relates to energy conservation and efficiency projects
A.8823 / C.407: Authorizes the issuance of an alcoholic beverage license to sell liquor at certain premises
A.8842 / C.408: Relates to small loans to owners of multiple dwellings to remove substandard or unsanitary conditions
A.8862 / C.409: Authorizes the prevention or reduction of waste matter consisting of carbon components of energy waste from residential properties
A.9019 / C.410: Authorizes the aggregate purchases of energy for state agencies, institutions, local governments, public authorities and public benefit corporations
S.1290A / C.411: Provides for the custody of pregnant female inmates before, during and after delivery
S.2362 / C.412: Relates to the defense and indemnification of optometrists rendering certain services
S.3146A / C.413: Relates to implementing “the children's plan”
S.3860 / C.414: Amends chapter 253 of the laws of 2004, amending the private housing finance law relating to rent regulation; extends the effectiveness thereof
A.5025 / C.415: Requires that local disaster preparedness plans of a county, city, town, or village not conflict with those of others

The complete list of bills vetoed by Governor Paterson includes:
A.220B / S.85-B: Extends payback by the North Bellmore union free school district on state aid overpayments during certain school years to six years beginning with June 1, 2009
A.251A / S.2289: Creates a regional technology commercialization fund and grant program in the New York state foundation for science, technology and innovation
A.2849 / S.4435: Creates within the department of economic development the strategic training alliance program to fund regional skills training programs; repealer
A.9025 / S.6063: Requires that aid and incentives to the city of Rochester are paid on or before June thirtieth in the fiscal year such aid is due and payable
A.5055 / S.4938: Enacts the "minority mental health act" to establish the division of minority mental health within the office of mental health
A.5328 / S.2232: Authorizes Gustin L. Reichbach to obtain service credit for his service as a judge with the United Nations administration mission in Kosovo
A.6889A / S.2687-A: Extends payback by the Southern Cayuga central school district on state aid overpayments for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years
A.7506 / S.4126: Relates to state aid for certain capital improvement projects in the Dundee central school district
A7893A / S.4849-A: Authorizes the Copiague union free school district to repay an overpayment of state aid in equal installments over six years
A7933 / S.4836: Legalizes, validates, ratifies and confirms a transportation contract of the Canaseraga central school district
A7989A / S.4805: Authorizes the Brocton central school district to repay certain state aid overpayments over 6 years
A7991A / S.2841-B: Relates to state aid for certain transportation contracts for the Hamburg central school district in Erie county
A8405C / S.5603: Establishes the New York state War of 1812 200th anniversary commemoration commission to promote the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812
A.8725 / S.5780: Validates the actions and proceedings of the Salem central school district with regard to certain transportation contracts for the 2007-2008 school year

Source: New York Governor