§ 156 — Definitions

§ 156. Definitions. The following words and phrases, as used in this\narticle, shall have the following meanings, unless a different meaning\nis plainly required by the context:\n 1. "Crime related to public office" shall mean any of the following\ncriminal offenses whether committed in this state or in any other\njurisdiction by a public official through the use of his or her public\noffice or by the individual representing that he or she was acting with\nthe authority of any governmental entity, and acting as a public\nofficial:\n (a) a felony for committing, aiding or abetting a larceny of public\nfunds from the state or a municipality;\n (b) a felony committed in direct connection with service as a public\nofficial; or\n (c) a felony committed by such person who, with the intent to defraud,\nrealizes or obtains, or attempts to realize or obtain, a profit, gain or\nadvantage for himself or herself or for some other person, through the\nuse or attempted use of the power, rights, privileges or duties of his\nor her position as a public official.\n 2. "Chief administrator of the retirement system" shall mean the\ncomptroller of the state of New York with respect to the New York state\nand local employees' retirement system and the boards of trustees with\nrespect to the other public retirement systems and pension funds of the\nstate and the city of New York.\n 3. "Defendant" shall mean a state or local officer against whom a\nforfeiture action is commenced.\n 4. "Dependent person" shall mean and include:\n (a) any child of a public official or other person for whom such\nperson is legally responsible to provide support;\n (b) any present or former spouse or domestic partner of a public\nofficial;\n (c) any family or household member of a public official, regardless of\nsuch person's age, where such person has a disability, as defined in\nsubdivision twenty-one of section two hundred ninety-two of the\nexecutive law; and\n (d) any person to whom a public official has provided support.\n 5. "Pension" shall mean the annual allowance for life, payable in\nmonthly installments, derived from contributions made by a public\nofficial to the appropriate pension accumulation fund of a retirement\nsystem pursuant to applicable law.\n 6. (a) "Public official" shall mean any of the following individuals:\n (i) the governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller or attorney\ngeneral;\n (ii) members of the state legislature;\n (iii) state officers and employees including:\n (A) heads of state departments and their deputies and assistants other\nthan members of the board of regents of the university of the state of\nNew York who receive no compensation or are compensated on a per diem\nbasis;\n (B) officers and employees of statewide elected officials;\n (C) officers and employees of state departments, boards, bureaus,\ndivisions, commissions, councils or other state agencies; and\n (D) members or directors of public authorities, other than multi-state\nauthorities, public benefit corporations and commissions at least one of\nwhose members is appointed by the governor, and employees of such\nauthorities, corporations and commissions;\n (iv) judges, justices and employees of the unified court system;\n (v) officers and employees of the legislature; and\n (vi) paid municipal officers and employees including an officer or\nemployee of a municipality, paid members of any administrative board,\ncommission or other agency thereof and in the case of a county, shall be\ndeemed to also include any officer or employee paid from county funds.\n (b) A person who receives no compensation or is compensated on a per\ndiem basis for his or her duties as a public official shall not be\ndeemed a public official pursuant to this subdivision.\n 7. "Retirement system" shall mean the New York state and local\nemployees' retirement system, and the New York city employees'\nretirement system.\n