§ 1005-b. New York state canal corporation. 1. The public benefit corporation known as the "New York state canal corporation" (hereinafter referred to as the "canal corporation") created as a subsidiary corporation of the New York state thruway authority pursuant to chapter seven hundred sixty-six of the laws of nineteen hundred ninety-two is hereby continued and reconstituted as a subsidiary corporation of the authority and shall have only the power to operate, maintain, construct, reconstruct, improve, develop, finance, and promote all of the canals, canal lands, feeder canals, reservoirs, canal terminals, canal terminal lands and other property under the jurisdiction of the canal corporation pursuant to Article 1-A of the canal law (hereinafter referred to as the "canal system"). Reference in any provision of law, general, special or local, or in any rule, regulation or public document to the canal corporation or the canal corporation as a subsidiary of the New York state thruway authority shall be deemed to be and construed as a reference to the canal corporation continued by this section.

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2. The management and administration of the canal corporation shall be an additional corporate purpose of the authority. To the extent that the trustees deem it feasible and advisable, the authority may transfer to the canal corporation any moneys, real, personal, or mixed property or any personnel in order to carry out the purposes of this section, provided that nothing in this section shall be deemed to require the authority to apply any moneys, revenues or property or to take any action in a manner that would be inconsistent with the provisions of any bond or note resolution or any other contract with the holders of the authority's bonds, notes or other obligations.

3. The canal corporation and any of its property, functions, and activities shall have all of the privileges, immunities, tax exemptions and other exemptions of the authority and of the authority's property, functions, and activities. The canal corporation shall be subject to the restrictions and limitations to which the authority may be subject. The canal corporation may delegate to one or more of its members, or its officers, agents and employees, such duties and powers as it may deem proper.

4. Exclusive jurisdiction is conferred upon the court of claims to hear and determine the claims of any person against the canal corporation (a) for its tortious acts and those of its agents, and (b) for breach of a contract, relating to construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance or operation, in the same manner and to the extent provided by and subject to the provisions of the court of claims act with respect to claims against the state, and to make awards and render judgments therefor. All awards and judgments arising from such claims shall be paid out of moneys of the canal corporation.

5. The members of the canal corporation shall be the same persons holding the offices of trustees of the authority.

6. No officer or member of the canal corporation shall receive any additional compensation, either direct or indirect, other than reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties, by reason of his or her serving as a member, director, or trustee of the canal corporation.

7. The employees of the canal corporation shall not be deemed to be employees of the authority by reason of their employment by the canal corporation. All officers and employees of the canal corporation shall be subject to the provisions of the civil service law which shall apply to the canal corporation and such corporation shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the New York state department of civil service and the New York state civil service commission. The canal corporation shall participate in the New York state and local employees' retirement system. Nothing contained in a chapter of the laws of two thousand sixteen that added this § of the canal corporation or any of its employees under any provisions of the civil service law or any existing or expired collective bargaining agreement in effect as of the effective date of transfer of the canal corporation from the thruway authority to the authority. Any such employee who at the time of such transfer shall have been in a negotiating unit represented by an employee organization which was certified or recognized pursuant to Article 14 of the civil service law shall continue to be represented by said employee organization. There shall be no reduction of staff, loss of position, including partial displacement, such as reduction in the hours of non-overtime, wages, or employment benefits as a result of the transfer of the canal corporation from the thruway authority to the authority for twenty-four months following such transfer.

8. The fiscal year of the canal corporation shall be the same as the fiscal year for the authority.

9. The canal corporation shall have the power to:

(a) operate, maintain, construct, reconstruct, improve, develop, finance, and promote the canal system;

(b) sue and be sued;

(c) have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;

(d) make and alter by-laws for its organization and internal management and make rules and regulations governing the use of its property and facilities;

(e) appoint officers and employees and fix their compensation;

(f) make and execute contracts and all other instruments necessary or convenient for the exercise of its powers and functions under this chapter;

(g) acquire, hold, and dispose of real or personal property for its corporate purposes;

(h) engage the services of private consultants on a contract basis for rendering professional and technical assistance and advice;

(i) procure insurance against any loss in connection with its activities, properties, and other assets, in such amount and from such insurers as it deems desirable;

(j) invest any funds of the canal corporation, or any other monies under its custody and control not required for immediate use or disbursement, at the discretion of the canal corporation, in obligations of the state or the United States government or obligations the principal and interest of which are guaranteed by the state or the United States government, or in any other obligations in which the comptroller of the state is authorized to invest pursuant to § 98-a of the state finance law;

(k) exercise those powers and duties of the authority delegated to it by the authority;

(l) prepare and submit a capital program plan pursuant to § 10 of the canal law;

(m) approve and implement the New York state canal recreationway plan submitted pursuant to § 138-c of the canal law. The canal corporation's review and approval of the canal recreationway plan shall be based upon its consideration of a generic environmental impact statement prepared by the canal corporation in accordance with Article 8 of the environmental conservation law and the regulations thereunder. Prior to the implementation of any substantial improvement by the canal corporation on canal lands, canal terminals, or canal terminal lands, or the lease of canal lands, canal terminals, or canal terminal lands for substantial commercial improvement, the canal corporation, in addition to any review taken pursuant to § 14.09 of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, shall conduct a reconnaissance level survey within three thousand feet of such lands to be improved of the type, location, and significance of historic buildings, sites, and districts listed on, or which may be eligible, for the state or national registers of historic places. The findings of such survey shall be used to identify significant historical resources and to determine whether the proposed improvements are compatible with such historic buildings, sites, and districts;

(n) enter on any lands, waters, or premises for the purpose of making borings, soundings, and surveys;

(o) accept any gifts or any grant of funds or property from the federal government or from the state or any other federal or state public body or political subdivision or any other person and to comply with the terms and conditions thereof; and

(p) waive any fee for a work permit which it has the power to issue if in its discretion the project which is subject to a work permit would add value to canal lands without any cost to the canal corporation, the authority, or the state.

10. (a) The canal corporation shall review the budget request submitted by the canal recreationway commission pursuant to § 138-b of the canal law.

(b) The canal corporation, on or before the fifteenth day of September of each year, shall submit to the director of the budget a request for the expenditure of funds available from the New York state canal system development fund pursuant to § 92-u of the state finance law or available from any other non-federal sources appropriated from the state treasury.

(c) In the event that the request submitted by the canal corporation to the director of the budget differs from the request submitted by the commission to the canal corporation, then the request submitted by the canal corporation to the director of the budget shall specify the differences and shall set forth the reasons for such differences.

11. The canal corporation shall not have the power to issue bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness; provided that notwithstanding the foregoing, the canal corporation may agree to repay amounts advanced to the canal corporation by the authority and to evidence such agreement by delivery of a promissory note or notes to the authority.

12. The canal corporation may do any and all things necessary or convenient to carry out and exercise the powers given and granted by this section.

13. The authority and all other state officers, departments, boards, divisions, commissions, public authorities, and public benefit corporations may render such services to the canal corporation within their respective functions as may be requested by the canal corporation.

14. Whenever any state political subdivision, municipality, commission, agency, officer, department, board, division, or person is authorized and empowered for any of the purposes of this title to cooperate and enter into agreements with the authority, such state political subdivision, municipality, commission, agency, officer, department, board, division, or person shall have the same authorization and power for any such purposes to cooperate and enter into agreements with the canal corporation.