Section 11. Official undertakings  


Latest version.
  • 1.  Every  official  undertaking,  when
      required by or in pursuance of law to be hereafter executed or filed  by
      any  officer,  shall  be to the effect that he will faithfully discharge
      the duties of his office and promptly  account  for  and  pay  over  all
      moneys  or  property received by him as such officer, in accordance with
      law, or in default thereof, that the parties executing such  undertaking
      will  pay  all  damages, costs and expenses resulting from such default,
      not exceeding  a  sum,  if  any,  specified  in  such  undertaking.  The
      undertaking of a state officer or clerk or employee shall be approved by
      the  attorney-general  as to its form and manner of execution and by the
      comptroller as to the sufficiency of the sureties and be  filed  in  the
      comptroller's  office.  The undertaking of a municipal officer shall, if
      not otherwise provided by law, be  approved  as  to  its  form  and  the
      sufficiency  of  the  sureties  by the chief executive officer or by the
      governing body of the municipality and be filed with the clerk  thereof.
      The  approval  by  such  governing body may be a resolution, a certified
      copy of which shall be attached to the undertaking. The  undertaking  of
      such county officer shall, if not otherwise provided by law, be approved
      as  to  its form and the sufficiency of the sureties by the clerk of the
      county, and filed in his office.  The  undertaking  of  a  town  officer
      shall,  if not otherwise provided by law, be approved as to its form and
      the sufficiency of the sureties by the clerk of the county and filed  in
      his  office.  The  sum specified in an official undertaking shall be the
      sum for which such undertaking shall be required by or in  pursuance  of
      law  is given. If no sum, or a different sum from that required by or in
      pursuance of law, be specified in the undertaking, it shall be deemed to
      be an undertaking for the amount so required. If no sum be  required  by
      or  in  pursuance  of  law  to  be  so  specified,  the officer or board
      authorized to approve the undertaking shall fix the sum to be  specified
      therein.   Every   official  undertaking  shall  be  executed  and  duly
      acknowledged by at least two sureties, each of whom  shall  add  thereto
      his  affidavit  that he is a freeholder or householder within the state,
      stating his occupation and  residence  and  the  street  number  of  his
      residence  and  place  of  business  if in a city, and a sum which he is
      worth over and above his just debts and liabilities and property  exempt
      from  execution.  The aggregate of the sums so stated in such affidavits
      must be at least double the amount specified in the undertaking. If  the
      surety  on an official undertaking of a state or local officer, clerk or
      employee of the state or political subdivision thereof or of a municipal
      corporation be a fidelity or surety corporation, the reasonable  expense
      of procuring such surety, not exceeding one percentum per annum upon the
      sum  for  which such undertaking shall be required by or in pursuance of
      law to be given, shall be  a  charge  against  the  state  or  political
      subdivision or municipal corporation respectively in and for which he is
      elected  or  appointed, except that the expense of procuring such surety
      as aforesaid, on an  official  undertaking  of  any  officer,  clerk  or
      employee  in  any  city  department  of  the city of New York, or of any
      office, board or body of said city, or of a  borough  or  county  within
      said  city,  including  officers,  clerks  and  employees of every court
      within said city, shall not be a charge upon said city or  upon  any  of
      the  counties  contained within said city, unless the comptroller of the
      said city, shall first have approved the  necessity  of  requiring  such
      official  undertaking  to  be given, and shall have approved of or fixed
      the amount of any such official undertaking; but  this  exception  shall
      not apply to an official undertaking specifically required by statute to
      be  given, and the amount of which is specifically fixed by statute. The
      failure to execute an official undertaking in the form or by the  number
      of  sureties  required by or in pursuance of law, or of a surety thereto
    
      to make an affidavit required by or in pursuance of law, or in the  form
      so  required,  or  the omission from such an undertaking of the approval
      required by or in pursuance of law, shall not affect  the  liability  of
      the sureties therein.
        2.  Notwithstanding  the  foregoing  provisions of this section or any
      other law, general, special or local, requiring an official  undertaking
      to  be conditioned substantially to the effect that an officer, clerk or
      employee will faithfully discharge his duties and promptly  account  for
      and  pay  over  all  moneys  or property received by him in his official
      capacity, it shall be permissible in lieu thereof, with the consent  and
      approval  of  the  officer  or  governing body authorized to require the
      undertaking, for any department or agency of the state or any  municipal
      corporation  or  district corporation or department or agency thereof to
      procure a blanket undertaking from any duly authorized corporate  surety
      covering  officers,  clerks  and employees. Any such blanket undertaking
      entered into on or after January first, nineteen  hundred  seventy-eight
      shall indemnify against losses:
        (a)  through the failure of the officers, clerks and employees covered
      thereunder faithfully to perform their duties or to account properly for
      all moneys  or  property  received  by  virtue  of  their  positions  or
      employment, and
        (b)  through  fraudulent  or dishonest acts committed by the officers,
      clerks and employees covered thereunder.
        Notwithstanding any provisions of the civil practice law and rules any
      such blanket undertaking entered into prior to January  first,  nineteen
      hundred  eighty-three  may  contain  a provision that no suit, action or
      proceeding of any kind to recover on account of loss under such  blanket
      undertaking  shall  be  brought after the expiration of three years from
      the cancellation of such blanket undertaking as an  entirety.  Any  such
      blanket  undertaking  shall  be  approved  as  to  its  form,  manner of
      execution and sufficiency of the surety and filed  and  the  expense  of
      procuring such surety paid in the same manner as provided in subdivision
      one  of this section. The failure to execute such blanket undertaking in
      the form required by law, or the omission of the  approval  required  by
      law, shall not affect the liability of the surety thereon.
        3.  Nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  construed  to  prevent  the
      procuring of a blanket undertaking to cover the liability  of  employees
      handling  funds collected pursuant to the provisions of section fifty of
      the vehicle and traffic law.
        4. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or  any  other  law,
      general  or  special,  requiring  an  official undertaking or bond to be
      conditioned substantially to the effect that a state officer,  clerk  or
      employee  will  faithfully discharge his duties and promptly account for
      and pay over all moneys or property received  by  him  in  his  official
      capacity,  the comptroller may, in his discretion, waive the requirement
      of procuring such official undertaking  or  bond,  and  the  expense  of
      procuring an official undertaking or bond shall not be a charge upon the
      state  unless the comptroller shall first have approved the necessity of
      requiring such official undertaking or bond.