§ 717. State mediation board, state labor relations board, and state employment relations board abolished. The state mediation board created by chapter five hundred sixty-nine of the laws of nineteen hundred sixty-eight, the New York state labor relations board created by chapter four hundred forty-three of the laws of nineteen hundred thirty-seven, and the state employment relations board created by chapter one hundred sixty-six of the laws of nineteen hundred ninety-one are hereby abolished. All the functions, powers and duties of such boards are hereby assigned to and shall hereafter be exercised and performed by and through the board. Any controversy, proceeding or other matter pending before the New York state board of mediation, the state labor relations board or the state employment relations board at the time this section takes effect, may be conducted and completed by the board and for such purposes the board shall be deemed to be a continuation of the functions, powers and duties of the New York state board of mediation, the state labor relations board or the state employment relations board, respectively, and not a new entity. Upon the transfer of functions to the board pursuant to this section, all appropriations and reappropriations heretofore or hereafter made to the department of labor relating to the state board of mediation or the state labor relations board or segregated pursuant to law, to the extent of remaining unexpended or unencumbered balances thereof, whether allocated or unallocated and whether obligated or unobligated are hereby made available for use and expenditure by the board for the same purposes for which originally appropriated or reappropriated. Whenever the state board of mediation or the state labor relations board or the chairman of the state board of mediation or of the state labor relations board or the state employment relations board is referred to or designated in any general, special or local law or in any rule, regulation, contract or other document, such reference or designation shall be deemed to refer to the board and the chairman thereof, respectively.