What's happening
This bill forgives Panama Central School District for missing deadlines on building cost reports and prevents penalties if certain conditions are met.
Why it matters
Protects district funding. By legalizing and validating Panama Central School District’s late building cost reports, the bill ensures the district does not lose out on critical state reimbursement for past construction projects—helping maintain local school budgets and services.
Sets clear conditions for forgiveness. The bill only waives penalties if the district submits the missing reports, gains approval from the Education Commissioner, shows all funds were properly used, and demonstrates the delay was a genuine administrative error—not fraud or intentional misconduct.
Restores previously withheld funds. If the state already withheld money as a penalty, the bill requires those funds to be repaid to the district, ensuring communities are not permanently penalized for paperwork mistakes that did not involve misuse of funds.
Affirms accountability with flexibility. While offering relief for honest administrative mistakes, the bill maintains safeguards by upholding the need for proper oversight, approved expenditures, and the absence of fraudulent intent—balancing flexibility for districts with continued fiscal accountability.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Forgive School Report Delay
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Tabled
- Vetoed memo.124
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- 3rd reading cal.1623
- Substituted for S6365
- Referred to rules
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.87
- Rules report cal.87
Show 4 earlier actions
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Forgive School Paperwork Delay
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor Patrick M. Gallivan
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5442
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 12, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. GOODELL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to legalize, validate, ratify and confirm the actions of the Panama central school district notwithstanding the failure to timely file final building cost reports with the education department
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all acts done and proceedings heretofore had and taken, or caused to be had or taken, by the Panama central school district and by any of its officers or agents relating to or in connection with final building cost reports required to be filed with the education department for approved building projects completed prior to December 31, 2012, and all acts incidental thereto are hereby legalized, validated, ratified and confirmed, notwithstanding any failure to comply with the time requirements for the approval and filing provisions of the education law or any other provision of law, rule or regulation, relating to any omissions, error, defect, irregularity or illegality in such proceedings had and taken.
§ 2. Notwithstanding section 24-a of part A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2013, and consistent with section one of this act, the commissioner of education shall not recover from the Panama central school district any penalty arising from the late filing of a final cost report pursuant to section 31 of part A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2012, provided that any amounts already so recovered shall be deemed a payment of moneys due for prior years pursuant to paragraph c of subdivision 5 of section 3604 of the education law and shall be paid to the Panama central school district pursuant to such provision, provided that such school district:
(a) submitted the late or missing final building cost report to the commissioner of education;
(b) such cost report is approved by the commissioner of education;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04280-01-9
A. 5442 2
(c) all state funds expended by the school district, as documented in such cost report, were properly expended for such building project in accordance with the terms and conditions for such project as approved by the commissioner of education; and
(d) the failure to submit such report in a timely manner was an inadvertent administrative or ministerial oversight by the school district, and there is no evidence of any fraudulent or other improper intent by such district.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.