Board of Education v. Regan

107 Misc. 2d 37, 432 N.Y.S.2d 823, 1980 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2822
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 27, 1980
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 107 Misc. 2d 37 (Board of Education v. Regan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Board of Education v. Regan, 107 Misc. 2d 37, 432 N.Y.S.2d 823, 1980 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2822 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Parker J. Stone, J.

Defendants have moved to dismiss the complaint and for summary judgment on behalf of defendants on the grounds that the complaint fails to state a cause of action. The plaintiff has cross-moved for summary judgment.

Section 99-c of the State Finance Law (L1977, ch 55, § 1) became effective on April 1, 1977. This statute empowers the Comptroller to establish a fund called the Health Insurance Reserve Receipts Fund (HIRRF) to receive transfers of funds from the health insurance carriers of the New York State employees’ health insurance program (health program) and to disburse the funds received to participating municipalities and school districts. The funds intended to be transferred by the insurance carriers to HIRRF are from the reserves established by the insurance carriers to protect [38]*38their liability for incurred but unreported and unpaid claims. The statute further provides that in the event a municipality or a school district elects to receive a distribution from HIRRF pursuant to an agreement between the municipality or school district and the State, and thereafter elects to terminate its contractual agreement for health insurance with the New York State Department of Civil Service (Department) and defaults in its obligation to repay the distribution received, the Comptroller may withhold from local assistance aid, educational aid and other State aid as appropriate, such amount as is required to reimburse HIRRF for the distribution received. Section 99-c of the State Finance Law also provides that in the event money is withheld for repayment of the distribution made to the municipality or school district, the State shall not be obligated to pay any additional or increased apportionment of State aid or assistance. The Governor’s memorandum, in respect to section 99-c (NY Legis Ann, 1977, p 78), states that $100,000,000 was included in the 1977-1978 executive budget to guarantee to the insurance carriers the return of distributions made from HIRRF.

On April 12, 1977, the Legislature passed chapter 71 of the Laws of 1977, effective July 1, 1977. Subdivision b of section 8 thereof, reads as follows: “Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of section thirty-six hundred nine of the education law, the commissioner of education shall reduce the apportionments to each school district in the school year commencing July first, nineteen hundred seventy-seven during the fall of such year in accordance with a schedule adopted by the commissioner of education, with the approval of the director of the budget, in an amount not to exceed the amounts received by each such school district as a distribution from the health insurance reserve receipts fund pursuant to a chapter of the laws of nineteen hundred seventy-seven. If a school district eligible as of March twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred seventy-seven to receive distributions from the health insurance reserve receipts fund elects not to receive distributions at the time such distributions are made, or if a school district files with the department of civil service after March twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred seventy-seven a notice of intent to leave [39]*39the New York State government employee health insurance plan, the commissioner of education shall deduct from such apportionments to such school district the amount which such district would have been eligible to receive. If, however, a school district has filed with the department of civil service by March twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred seventy-seven a notice to leave such health insurance plan and does leave such plan by June second, nineteen hundred seventy-seven, then such district shall not be entitled to —Distributions from the health insurance reserve receipts fund nor shall the commissioner of education deduct from state aid apportionments to such school district an amount equal to that which the district would have received had it remained in such plan.”

On August 8, 1977, the plaintiff entered into an agreement with the Department pursuant to section 99-c of the State Finance Law. This agreement entitled plaintiff to receive $407,095 from HIRRF. It also provided that in the event the agreement between the Department and plaintiff was terminated, plaintiff would transmit to the Department the amount due within 30 days of receipt of notice calling for its return. The agreement also provided that the amount due could be withheld by the Comptroller from any future payment of local assistance aid, education aid, or other State aid.

On or about September 13, 1977, plaintiff received from the Department, a payment which included the sum of $407,095 from HIRRF. On November 21,1977, the general State aid payment received by plaintiff was reduced correspondingly by $407,095.

Sometime in 1979, the plaintiff notified the Department that it intended to withdraw from the health program, effective January 1, 1980. Such withdrawal was effected and the agreement of August 8, 1977 was terminated between plaintiff and the Department. In December, 1979, the Department, through the New York State Department of Audit and Control, directed the State Education Department to deduct $407,095 from plaintiffs State aid. Plaintiff thereafter commenced this action for a judgment declaring the August 8,1977 agreement void and unenforceable, that [40]*40section 99-c of the State Finance Law and chapter 71 (§ 8, subd b) of the Laws of 1977 be declared unconstitutional, or in the alternative, that if the defendants are bound to reimburse HIRRF, plaintiff be reimbursed a like amount by the defendants. Plaintiff has not returned the $407,095 and defendants have been temporarily enjoined from withholding this amount from plaintiff’s State aid.

A determination of the respective rights and obligations of the parties is governed by the construction and constitutional validity of the statutes in question. In respect to the agreement of August 8, 1977, suffice it to say that its construction and validity are circumscribed by section 99-c of the State Finance Law upon which the agreement is based. A consideration of contractual law in respect to this agreement is therefore deemed unnecessary.

It is apparent from a reading of section 99-c of the State Finance Law, and the Governor’s memorandum relating thereto, that the legislative intent is to provide a source of funds for municipalities and school districts in the form of a loan. Local assistance aid is to be affected only upon a default in repayment of the loan and only to the extent of the default. Upon a withholding of local assistance, the statute provides that the State is not obligated to increase State aid. Section 99-c does not in any way suggest that a school district participating in HIRRF funding should realize less local assistance aid by the repayment of HIRRF distribution than it would have realized if it were not a participant in the plan. Likewise, the statute does not suggest that the State should reap a profit upon default. The Governor’s memorandum refers to an appropriation of $100,000,000 to repay insurance carriers upon default and that the State recoup its payment by a withholding of local assistance. The position urged by the defendants does, in fact, result in the plaintiff losing $407,095 in the State assistance aid and the State profiting by that amount.

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110 Misc. 2d 580 (New York Supreme Court, 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
107 Misc. 2d 37, 432 N.Y.S.2d 823, 1980 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/board-of-education-v-regan-nysupct-1980.