§ 3236. Bonds and notes of the corporation. 1. (a) The corporation shall have power and is hereby authorized from time to time to issue its bonds and notes in such principal amount or amounts, subject to subdivision eight of this section, as the corporation shall determine to be necessary, to provide sufficient funds for achieving its corporate purposes, including the making of payments pursuant to section three thousand two hundred thirty-eight of this title, the payment of interest on bonds and notes of the corporation, the establishment of reserves to secure such bonds and notes, the payment of amounts required under bond or note facilities or agreements relating thereto, and the payment of all costs of issuance of its bonds and notes.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(b) The corporation shall have the power and is hereby authorized from time to time to issue (i) notes to renew notes and (ii) bonds to pay notes, including the interest thereon and, whenever it deems refunding expedient, to refund any bonds by the issuance of new bonds, whether the bonds to be refunded have or have not matured, and to issue bonds partly to refund bonds then outstanding and partly for any of its other corporate purposes. The refunding bonds may be exchanged for the bonds to be refunded or sold and the proceeds applied to the purchase, redemption or payment of such bonds.

(c) Except as may otherwise be expressly provided by the corporation, every issue of its bonds and notes shall be general obligations of the corporation payable out of any revenues of the corporation, subject only to any agreements with the holders of particular bonds or notes pledging any particular revenues.

(d) (i) Bonds and notes shall be authorized by resolution of the corporation, be in such denominations and bear such date or dates and mature at such time or times, as such resolution may provide, provided that bonds and notes and renewals or refundings thereof shall mature on a date not later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five nor more than thirty years from the date of original issuance.

(ii) Bonds and notes shall be subject to such terms of redemption, bear interest at such rate or rates, be payable at such times, be in such form, either coupon, registered or book entry form, carry such registration privileges, be executed in such manner, be payable in such medium of payment at such place or places, and be subject to such terms and conditions as such resolution may provide.

(e) Such bonds shall be sold to the bidder offering the lowest interest cost to the corporation, taking into consideration any premium or discount and, in the case of refunding bonds, the bona fide initial public offering price, not less than four nor more than fifteen days, Sundays excepted, after a notice of such sale has been published at least once in a definitive trade publication of the municipal bond industry published on each business day in the state of New York which is generally available to participants in the municipal bond industry, which notice shall state the terms of the sale. The corporation may not change the terms of the sale unless notice of such change is sent via a definitive trade wire service of the municipal bond industry which, in general, makes available information regarding activity and sales of municipal bonds and is generally available to participants in the municipal bond industry, at least one hour prior to the time of the sale as set forth in the original notice of sale. In so changing the terms or conditions of a sale the corporation may send notice by such wire service that the sale will be delayed by up to thirty days, provided that wire notice of the new sale date will be given at least one business day prior to the new time when bids will be accepted. In such event, no new notice of sale shall be required to be published. Advertisements shall contain a provision to the effect that the corporation, in its discretion, may reject any or all bids made in pursuance of such advertisements, and in the event of such rejection, the corporation is authorized to negotiate a private sale or readvertise for bids in the form and manner above described as many times as, in its judgment, may be necessary to effect a satisfactory sale. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, whenever in the judgment of the corporation the interests of the corporation will be served thereby, the corporation may sell bonds at private sale. The corporation shall promulgate regulations governing the terms and conditions of any such private sales, which regulations shall include a provision that it give notice to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly of its intention to conduct a private sale of obligations pursuant to this section not less than five days prior to such sale or the execution of any binding agreement to effect such sale.

(f) The corporation shall enter into an agreement with the comptroller pursuant to which the comptroller shall be the exclusive agent of the corporation for the sale of its bonds and notes.

2. Consistent with the provisions of this title, any resolution authorizing any bonds or notes or any issue thereof may contain provisions, which shall be a part of the contract with the holders thereof, as to:

(a) pledging all or any part of the revenues to secure the payment of the bonds or notes or of any issue thereof, subject to such agreements with bondholders or noteholders as may then exist;

(b) pledging all or any part of the assets of the corporation to secure the payment of the bonds or notes or of any issue of bonds or notes, subject to such agreements with bondholders or noteholders as may then exist;

(c) the setting aside of reserves or sinking funds and the regulation and disposition thereof;

(d) limitations on the purposes to which the proceeds of sale of bonds or notes may be applied and pledging such proceeds to secure the payment of the bonds or notes or of any issue thereof;

(e) limitations on the issuance of additional bonds or notes; the terms upon which additional bonds or notes may be issued and secured; and the refunding of outstanding or other bonds or notes;

(f) the procedure, if any, by which the terms of any contract with bondholders or noteholders may be amended or abrogated, the amount of bonds or notes the holders of which must consent thereto, and the manner in which such consent may be given;

(g) limitations on the amount of moneys to be expended by the corporation for operating expenses of the corporation;

(h) vesting in a trustee, as described in subdivision six of this section, such property, rights, powers and duties in trust as the corporation may determine, which may include any or all of the rights, powers and duties of the trustee appointed by the bondholders pursuant to this title, and limiting or abrogating the right of the bondholders to appoint a trustee under this title or limiting the rights, powers, and duties of such trustee;

(i) the acts or omissions to act which shall constitute a default in the obligations and duties of the corporation to the holders of the bonds or notes and providing for the rights and remedies of the holders of the bonds or notes in event of such default, including the right to appointment of a receiver; providing, however, that such rights and remedies shall not be inconsistent with the general laws of the state and the other provisions of this title;

(j) any other matters, of like or different character, which in any way affect the security or protection of the holders of the bonds or notes; and

(k) the application of any of the foregoing provisions to any provider of any applicable bond or note facility.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the corporation shall not be authorized to make any covenant, pledge, promise, or agreement purporting to bind the state except as otherwise specifically authorized by this title.

3. Any pledge made by the corporation shall be valid and binding from the time when the pledge is made. The revenues or property so pledged and thereafter received by the corporation shall immediately be subject to the lien of such pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act, and the lien of any such pledge shall be valid and binding as against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract or otherwise against the corporation, irrespective of whether such parties have notice thereof. Neither the resolution nor any other instrument by which a pledge is created need be recorded or filed to protect such pledge.

4. Neither the directors of the corporation nor any other person executing the bonds or notes of the corporation shall be subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of the issuance thereof.

5. The corporation, subject to such agreements with bondholders or noteholders as may then exist, or with the providers of any applicable bond or note facility, shall have power out of any funds available therefor to purchase bonds or notes of the corporation, which may or may not thereupon be cancelled, at a price not substantially exceeding:

(a) if the bonds or notes are then redeemable, the redemption price then applicable, including any accrued interest;

(b) if the bonds or notes are not then redeemable, the redemption price and accrued interest applicable on the first date after such purchase upon which the bonds or notes become subject to redemption.

6. In the discretion of the directors of the corporation, the bonds and notes may be secured by a trust indenture by and between the corporation and a corporate trustee, or a corporate trustee may be appointed under the resolution as provided in subdivision two of this section.

7. Whether or not the bonds and notes are of such form and character as to be negotiable instruments under the terms of the uniform commercial code, the bonds and notes are hereby made negotiable instruments within the meaning of and for all the purposes of the uniform commercial code, subject only to the provisions of the bonds and notes for registration or any book-entry-only system.

8. (a) The corporation shall not issue any bonds or notes in an amount in excess of four billion seven hundred million dollars, plus a principal amount of bonds or notes:

(i) to fund any capital reserve fund in accordance with the capital reserve fund requirement,

(ii) to provide capitalized interest for a period not to exceed six months, and

(iii) to provide for the payment of fees and other charges and expenses, including underwriters' discount, related to the issuance of such bonds or notes, or related to the provision of any applicable bond or note facilities.

(b) In computing for the purposes of this section, the aggregate amount of indebtedness evidenced by bonds and notes of the corporation issued pursuant to this title, there shall be excluded (i) the amount of bonds or notes issued that would constitute interest under the Code as amended to the effective date of this title, and (ii) the amount of such indebtedness represented by such bonds or notes issued to refund or otherwise repay bonds or notes, provided that the amount so excluded under this subparagraph (ii) may exceed the principal amount of such bonds or notes that were issued to refund or otherwise repay only if the present value of the aggregate debt service on the refunding or repayment bonds or notes shall not have at the time of their issuance exceeded the present value of the aggregate debt service of the bonds or notes they were issued to refund or repay, such present value in each case being calculated by using the effective interest rate of the refunding or repayment bonds or notes, which shall be that rate arrived at by doubling the semi-annual interest rate (compounded semi-annually) necessary to discount the debt service payments on the refunding or repayment bonds or notes from the payment date thereof to the date of issue of the refunding or repayment bonds or notes and to the price bid therefor, or to the proceeds received by the corporation from the sale thereof, in each case including estimated accrued interest.

9. Each issuance of bonds by the corporation under this title shall provide for the retirement thereof so that debt service thereon, calculated in accordance with reasonably assumed interest rates to the extent not then determinable, shall be on a substantially level or decreasing debt-service payment basis no later than one year from the date of their issuance to the date of retirement of the latest bond within such issue to retire. Each issuance of notes shall provide for annual reductions of the aggregate outstanding principal in equal or increasing amounts of such reduction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the corporation shall issue refunding bonds, the debt service thereon shall be structured on any basis that the corporation deems is in its best interest, provided that debt service on all outstanding bonds, notes and other financial obligations is not increased in any future fiscal year after giving effect to such refunding.