Relates to licensure of exhibits or entertainment on fair grounds.

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S5641A-2011 Actions

• Jun 21, 2012: COMMITTED TO RULES
• Jun 21, 2012: RESTORED TO THIRD READING
• Jun 21, 2012: SUBSTITUTION RECONSIDERED
• Jun 20, 2012: SUBSTITUTED BY A8329A
• May 31, 2012: AMENDED ON THIRD READING 5641A
• Mar 12, 2012: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• Mar 7, 2012: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• Mar 6, 2012: 1ST REPORT CAL.289
• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE
• Jun 8, 2011: REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

S5641A-2011 Calendars

Active List: Jun 4, 2012 , Active List: Jun 20, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 4, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 5, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 6, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 11, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 12, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 13, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 14, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 18, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 19, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 20, 2012

S5641A-2011 Votes

S5641A-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S5641A               REVISED 06/01/12

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the agriculture and markets law and the not-for-profit
corporation law, in relation to licensure of exhibits or entertainment
on fair grounds

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA:
This bill would modify the agriculture and
markets law relating to the powers of association of farmers
pertaining to the use of agricultural fairgrounds, as well as the not
for profit corporation law to clarify the relationship between
exhibitions or entertainments on fair grounds and local laws or
municipal ordinances.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the agriculture and markets law to clarify that any
association of farmers may lease their grounds for exhibitions and
events, in addition to similar activities currently permitted, as
well as to provide that any association of farmers may lease such
grounds for the storage of personal property for profit.

Section two amends the not-for-profit corporation law to provide that
agricultural and horticultural societies are exempt from local
ordinances requiring an approval, except those requiring an approval
to protect the safety, health, and well-being of persons, in addition
to the current exemption from licensing fees. Section two further
provides that agricultural and horticultural societies are exempt
from unreasonably prohibitive or restrictive local ordinances that
govern certain construction and maintenance activities on fairgrounds.

Section three provides the enactment date.

JUSTIFICATION:
Agricultural or horticultural corporations are not-far-profit entities
that organize their respective annual county fairs, for the promotion
of their county or region's agriculture industry. This important
mission dates back to the late nineteenth century and requires
aggressive efforts by the organization's board of directors in
generating revenue throughout the year, to sustain operations and to
carry out its principal mission. Written at the turn of the last
century, the not-for-profit corporation law addressed this need by
establishing protections against certain financial burdens.
Currently, this law exempts exhibitions or entertainments from the
provisions of any special or local law or municipal ordinance that
would impose a fee. With the numerous changes in how ordinances are
imposed in the last century, and specifically during a time of
economic difficulty, these protections need to be updated.

Accordingly, this bill would exclude agricultural and horticultural
societies from local ordinances requiring an approval, except those
requiring an approval to protect the safety, health, and well-being
of persons. This bill would also exempt such societies from local
ordinances that govern the construction, improvement, renovation,
relocation, or demolition of grounds, buildings, and facilities in an
unreasonably prohibitive or restrictive manner. Finally, this bill
would clarify that any association of farmers may lease their grounds
for exhibitions and entertainments as well as for the storage of
personal property for profit.

The annual county fairs are vital for the New York State agriculture
industry. This is a timely bill that would afford needed protections
to agricultural and horticultural societies, as well as associations
of farmers, which will in turn continue to promote a strong and
prosperous agriculture industry in New York State.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is new legislation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S5641A-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                   5641--A
      Cal. No. 289

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                June 8, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced by Sens. RITCHIE, GALLIVAN -- read twice and ordered printed,
    and  when  printed  to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture --
    recommitted to the Committee on Agriculture in accordance with  Senate
    Rule  6,  sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to
    first and second report, ordered  to  a  third  reading,  amended  and
    ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading

  AN  ACT  to amend the agriculture and markets law and the not-for-profit
    corporation law, in relation to licensure of exhibits or entertainment
    on fair grounds

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1.  Section 290 of the agriculture and markets law is amended
  to read as follows:

    S 290. Association of farmers; powers of. Any association of  farmers,
  residing  in  any  neighborhood,  town  or county in this state, now, or
  hereafter to be organized, and acting under a constitution  and  by-laws
  adopted  by  themselves  for their guidance, which shall be filed in the
  clerk's office of such town or county and  which  are  not  inconsistent
  with  the laws of this state, is hereby authorized to lease and maintain
  grounds and structures for the exhibition and sale of  the  products  of
  their  farms  or  their skill, and for the instruction and recreation of
  its members and visitors. Any such association shall have  authority  to
  let,  for rent, locations on their leased grounds to EXHIBITIONS, ENTER-
  TAINMENTS, shopmen and persons wishing to furnish suitable  refreshments
  for  victualing members and visitors OR FOR STORAGE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
  WHEN PROPERTY IS AVAILABLE FOR SUCH ACTIVITY;  to  license  peddlers  to
  sell  on their grounds articles of merchandise, not forbidden to be sold
  by any law of this state without license from the state; and in the name
  of such association and upon the action and direction of  its  officers,
  to sue for and collect the stipulated sums of such rentals and licenses,
  and  to  enforce  the  observance  of  its  rules and regulations by the

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD13022-04-2

 S. 5641--A                          2

  several members of its  association.  And  such  association  is  hereby
  empowered  to  issue  certificates  of  indebtedness  in amounts of five
  dollars each, providing that the whole amount shall not exceed  the  sum
  of  one  thousand  dollars, which they may sell at a price not below the
  par value thereof, for the purpose of raising money for the erection  of
  buildings,  or for such other improvements as may be deemed necessary by
  a majority of the members of such association.
    S 2. Paragraph (k) of section 1409 of the  not-for-profit  corporation
  law is amended to read as follows:

    (k)  Exhibitions  and entertainments on fair grounds to be exempt from
  license.
    The provisions of any special or local  law  or  municipal  ordinance,
  requiring the payment of a license fee for exhibitions or entertainments
  OR  REQUIRING  THAT  AN  APPROVAL  BE OBTAINED FROM ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT
  EXCEPT AN APPROVAL REQUIRED TO PROTECT THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
  OF PERSONS, shall not apply to any exhibition or entertainment  held  on
  the  grounds  of  a town or county corporation whether or not the corpo-
  ration derives a pecuniary profit from such exhibition or  entertainment
  by  the  lease of its grounds for such purpose AND THE PROVISIONS OF ANY
  SPECIAL OR LOCAL LAW OR MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE SHALL NOT  BE  CONSTRUED  OR
  APPLIED  TO UNREASONABLY PROHIBIT OR RESTRICT ANY AGRICULTURAL OR HORTI-
  CULTURAL CORPORATION RECEIVING REIMBURSEMENT PURSUANT TO  ARTICLE  TWEN-
  TY-FOUR  OF  THE  AGRICULTURE  AND  MARKETS  LAW  FROM THE CONSTRUCTION,
  IMPROVEMENT, RENOVATION, RELOCATION OR DEMOLITION OF ALL OR ANY OF  SUCH
  AGRICULTURAL OR HORTICULTURAL CORPORATION GROUNDS, BUILDINGS AND FACILI-
  TIES.
    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.