Amd §374, Exec L; amd §2, Chap of 2024 (as proposed in S.1218-B & A.1080-B)
Increases membership on the state fire prevention and building code council to include the commissioner of agriculture and markets; amends the effectiveness thereof.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A596
SPONSOR: Woerner TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to increasing membership
on the state fire prevention and building code council; and to amend a
chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law relating to the
appointment for agricultural representation on the state fire prevention
and building code council, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.
1218-B and A. 1080-B, in relation to the effectiveness thereof
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to expand the membership of the state fire
prevention and building code council to ensure broader representation,
including agricultural producers, and to improve the council's function-
ality through updated meeting protocols and advisory board provisions.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one:
*Increases the membership of the state fire prevention and building code
council from sixteen to seventeen members.
*Adds an additional member to be appointed by the governor from the
commissioners of state agencies, bringing representation to areas such
as agriculture and markets.
*Updates terminology to replace "chairman" with the gender-neutral term
"chairperson," ensuring compliance with current law.
Section two:
*Specifies that the council shall meet at least quarterly, with addi-
tional meetings permitted upon five days' notice by the chairperson or
by petition of five council members.
*Updates terminology to replace "chairman" with the gender-neutral term
"chairperson," ensuring compliance with current law.
Section three:
*Updates terminology to replace "chairman" with the gender-neutral term
"chairperson," ensuring compliance with current law.
Section four is the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
This chapter expands the membership of the state fire prevention and
building code council ensuring broader representation and additional
expertise to the table, particularly from agricultural stakeholders.
This amendment also modernizes meeting protocols and advisory board
structures to better align with current operational needs, promoting a
more effective and inclusive decision-making process.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that Section
One of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
manner as the chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law
relating to the state fire prevention and building code council.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
596
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to increasing membership
on the state fire prevention and building code council; and to amend a
chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law relating to the
appointment for agricultural representation on the state fire
prevention and building code council, as proposed in legislative bills
numbers S. 1218-B and A. 1080-B, in relation to the effectiveness
thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 374 of the executive law, as
2 amended by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law
3 relating to the appointment for agricultural representation on the state
4 fire prevention and building code council, as proposed in legislative
5 bills numbers S. 1218-B and A. 1080-B, is amended to read as follows:
6 1. There is hereby created and established in the department of state
7 a council, to be known as the state fire prevention and building code
8 council. Such council shall consist of the secretary of state, as
9 [chairman] chairperson, the state fire administrator and [sixteen]
10 seventeen other members to be appointed as follows:
11 a. [Two] Three members, to be appointed by the governor, from among
12 the commissioners of the departments of economic development, environ-
13 mental conservation, corrections and community supervision, education,
14 health, labor, agriculture and markets, mental health and social
15 services, office of general services, division of housing and community
16 renewal, the president of the New York state energy research and devel-
17 opment authority, and the superintendent of financial services.
18 b. Six members, to be appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be
19 an elected official of a city with a population over one million, one of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02934-01-5
A. 596 2
1 whom shall be an elected official of another city with a population over
2 one hundred thousand, one of whom shall be an elected official of any
3 other city, one of whom shall be an elected county official, one of whom
4 shall be an elected town official, and one of whom shall be an elected
5 village official.
6 c. Eight members, to be appointed by the governor with the advice and
7 consent of the senate, one of whom shall be a fire service official, one
8 of whom shall be a registered architect, one of whom shall be a profes-
9 sional engineer, one of whom shall be a code enforcement official, one
10 of whom shall represent builders, one of whom shall represent trade
11 unions, one of whom shall represent agricultural producers, and one of
12 whom shall be a person with a disability as defined in section two
13 hundred ninety-two of this chapter who would directly benefit from the
14 provisions of article thirteen of the state uniform fire prevention and
15 building code. The registered architect and professional engineer shall
16 be duly licensed to practice their respective professions in the state
17 of New York. After the certification of code enforcement personnel
18 pursuant to this chapter shall have begun said code enforcement official
19 shall be so certified.
20 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 374 of the executive law, as amended by
21 chapter 374 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
22 3. The council shall meet at least quarterly at the call of the
23 [chairman] chairperson. Additional meetings may be called upon at least
24 five days' notice by the [chairman] chairperson or by petition of five
25 members of the council.
26 § 3. The opening paragraph of paragraph a of subdivision 9 of section
27 374 of the executive law, as amended by chapter 23 of the laws of 1989,
28 is amended to read as follows:
29 The [chairman] chairperson of the council shall appoint an advisory
30 board on assistive listening systems in places of public assembly for
31 the purposes of providing the full council with recommendations for
32 standards for such systems. Such advisory board shall consist of the
33 state fire administrator, who shall serve as [chairman] chairperson, and
34 six other members to be appointed as follows:
35 § 4. Section 2 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive
36 law relating to the appointment for agricultural representation on the
37 state fire prevention and building code council, as proposed in legisla-
38 tive bills numbers S. 1218-B and A. 1080-B, is amended to read as
39 follows:
40 § 2. This act shall take effect [immediately] July 1, 2025.
41 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
42 section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the
43 same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law
44 relating to the appointment for agricultural representation on the state
45 fire prevention and building code council, as proposed in legislative
46 bills numbers S. 1218-B and A. 1080-B, takes effect.
