Section 77-B. Expenses of certain public officers and employees attending conventions, conferences and schools

1. Definitions. As  used  in  this  section, the following terms shall mean:
    (a)  Municipality.  A  city,  county,  town, village, school district,
  cooperative educational services district,  improvement  district,  soil
  conservation district, public library, community college, fire district.
    (b)  Governing  Board.  A  common  council,  board  of  aldermen, city
  council, or board of estimate of a city, the county legislature or board
  of supervisors of a county, the town board  of  a  town,  the  board  of
  trustees  of a village, the board of education of a school district, the
  board of cooperative educational services, the board of commissioners of
  an improvement district, the board of directors of a  soil  conservation
  district,  the trustees of a public library, the trustees of a community
  college, and the board of fire commissioners of a fire district.
    (c) Conference. A convention, conference, or school conducted for  the
  betterment  of any municipality or a convention or conference of firemen
  or firemanic officers if believed to be of benefit to the municipality.
    2. The governing board of a municipality  may,  by  a  majority  vote,
  authorize  any of its members or any officer or employee or the chief or
  assistant chief of its fire department or  other  person  who  has  been
  elected  pursuant  to law to a public office of a municipality for which
  the term of office has  not  commenced  to  attend  a  conference.  Such
  conference  travel  shall  be  for  official  business and shall be made
  utilizing  a   cost-effective   and   reasonable   method   of   travel.
  Authorization  must  be  by resolution adopted prior to such attendance,
  duly entered in the record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  municipality.
  However,  the  governing  board  may  delegate  the  power  to authorize
  attendance  at  such  conference  to  any  executive  officer   or   any
  administrative board.
    3.  All  actual  and  necessary  registration  fees,  all  actual  and
  necessary expenses of  travel,  meals  and  lodging  and  all  necessary
  tuition  fees  incurred  in  connection  with attendance at a conference
  shall be a charge against the municipality and the amount thereof  shall
  be  audited,  allowed  and  paid  in the same manner as are other claims
  against such municipality.
    4. Where authorization to attend a conference shall have been  granted
  by  any  executive  officer or administrative board no claim or expenses
  shall be audited, allowed or paid unless there shall be attached thereto
  a travel order or similar document signed by such executive  officer  or
  by  the  chairman  of  the  administrative  board,  as  the case may be,
  authorizing the claimant to attend such conference. If travel is by car,
  owned by any person so authorized, he shall receive  an  amount  not  to
  exceed the amount which the governing board allows as mileage.
    5.  No person shall be entitled to any compensation for the time spent
  in attending such a conference except that no deductions shall  be  made
  from the salary of a person so attending because of such attendance.
    6.  Advances  of  money  for  estimated expenditures, for registration
  fees, travel, meals, lodging and tuition fees may be made  to  a  person
  duly  authorized  to  attend  a  conference  provided  itemized vouchers
  showing actual expenditures are  submitted  after  such  attendance  and
  moneys  advanced  in  excess  of  such  expenditures are refunded to the
  municipality or expenditures in excess of such estimate are audited  and
  paid  by  the municipality. Where an officer or employee fails to return
  such excess advance, at the time of submitting his itemzied vouchers  or
  upon  demand  after audit of such voucher, the municipality shall deduct
  the amount of such unreturned excess advance from the  salary  or  other
  money owed the officer or employee by the municipality.