N.Y. Public Authorities Law § 3161: Terms occurring in laws, contracts or other documents

§ 3161. Terms occurring in laws, contracts or other documents. Upon

the transfer pursuant to section thirty-one hundred fifty-six of this

title of the functions and powers possessed by and all of the

obligations and duties of the New York state office of science,

technology and academic research as established pursuant to article

ten-B of the executive law to the foundation as prescribed by section

thirty-one hundred fifty-six of this title, whenever the New York state

office of science, technology and academic research and the chairperson

thereof, the functions, powers, obligations and duties of which are

transferred to the foundation are referred to or designated in any law,

contract or document pertaining to the functions, powers, obligations

and duties transferred and assigned pursuant to this title, such

reference or designation shall be deemed to refer to the foundation and

its executive director. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all

rights and benefits, including terms and conditions of employment, and

protection of civil service and collective bargaining of all employees

affected by the transfer of the New York state office of science,

technology and academic research to the foundation, shall be preserved

and protected under the transfer, and all transferred employees and all

persons employed by the foundation after the transfer, except for

research and investigative high technology scientists, shall be

considered for all purposes of article fourteen of the civil service law

public employees in the civil service of the state and employees who are

transferred shall remain in the same collective bargaining unit and any

newly created positions shall be assigned to the appropriate collective

bargaining unit as if they were employees of the state. For proposes of

this section, the term "research and investigative high technology

scientists" shall mean persons with an understanding of empirical

methodologies, the ability to apply scientific knowledge to test

theories, and possessing the expertise to make systematic observations

of natural, empirical phenomena that can also be conveyed in a

meaningful way to policymakers.