Terms Used In New York Laws > Civil Service > Article 2 - Civil Service Administration

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Case law: The law as laid down in cases that have been decided in the decisions of the courts.
• Clerk: means the clerk of any county, town, city or village where licenses are validated or issued pursuant to this article. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Commissioner: means the state commissioner of agriculture and markets. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Detection dog: means any dog that is trained and is actually used for such purposes or is undergoing training to be used for the purpose of detecting controlled substances, explosives, ignitable liquids, firearms, cadavers, or school or correctional facility contraband. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dog: means any member of the species canis familiaris. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Dog control officer: means any individual appointed by a municipality to assist in the enforcement of this article or any authorized officer, agent or employee of an incorporated humane society or similar incorporated dog protective association under contract with a municipality to assist in the enforcement of this article. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Domestic animal: means any domesticated sheep, horse, cattle, fallow deer, red deer, sika deer, whitetail deer which is raised under license from the department of environmental conservation, llama, goat, swine, fowl, duck, goose, swan, turkey, confined domestic hare or rabbit, pheasant or other bird which is raised in confinement under license from the state department of environmental conservation before release from captivity, except that the varieties of fowl commonly used for cock fights shall not be considered domestic animals for the purposes of this article. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• domestic animals: as used in this article shall mean domesticated sheep, horses, cattle, swine and goats. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 105-D
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• education department optional retirement program: means the retirement program established pursuant to part V of this article. See N.Y. Education Law 180
• electing employee: means any eligible employee who exercises his election pursuant to this part V of this article to participate in the education department optional retirement program. See N.Y. Education Law 180
• eligible employee: means each employee of the education department who occupies a position which is designated by the commissioner as requiring the rendering of professional services within the field of supervision of higher education, and who, at the time of his initial employment with the department or within one year prior thereto, owns or owned a contract which may legally be continued pursuant to this part. See N.Y. Education Law 180
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fixed Rate: Having a "fixed" rate means that the APR doesn't change based on fluctuations of some external rate (such as the "Prime Rate"). In other words, a fixed rate is a rate that is not a variable rate. A fixed APR can change over time, in several circumstances:
  • You are late making a payment or commit some other default, triggering an increase to a penalty rate
  • The bank changes the terms of your account and you do not reject the change.
  • The rate expires (if the rate was fixed for only a certain period of time).
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Guide dog: means any dog that is trained to aid a person who is blind and is actually used for such purpose, or any dog during the period such dog is being trained or bred for such purpose. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Hearing dog: means any dog that is trained to aid a person who is deaf or hard of hearing and is actually used for such purpose, or any dog during the period such dog is being trained or bred for such purpose. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Identification tag: means a tag issued by the licensing municipality which sets forth an identification number, together with the name of the municipality, the state of New York, contact information, including telephone number, for the municipality and such other information as the licensing municipality deems appropriate. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• insurer: means a life insurance corporation, or other corporation, subject to department of financial services supervision. See N.Y. Education Law 180
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Municipality: means any county, town, city and village. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Owner: means any person who harbors or keeps any dog. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Owner of record: means the person in whose name any dog was last licensed pursuant to this article, except that if any license is issued on application of a person under eighteen years of age, the owner of record shall be deemed to be the parent or guardian of such person. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means any person, firm, corporation, or association. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 96-Z-21
• Person: means any individual, corporation, partnership, association or other organized group of persons, municipality, or other legal entity. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Person with a disability: means any person with a disability as that term is defined in subdivision twenty-one of § 292 of the executive law. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Physical injury: means impairment of physical condition or substantial pain. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Police work dog: means any dog owned or harbored by any state or municipal police department or any state or federal law enforcement agency, which has been trained to aid law enforcement officers and is actually being used for police work purposes. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Poultry: means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 96-Z-21
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Serious physical injury: means physical injury which creates a substantial risk of death, or which causes death or serious or protracted disfigurement, protracted impairment of health or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily organ. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Service dog: means any dog that has been or is being individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• state salary: means all amounts paid by or for the state as compensation for services rendered by an eligible employee. See N.Y. Education Law 180
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Therapy dog: means any dog that is trained to aid the emotional and physical health of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes and other settings and is actually used for such purpose, or any dog during the period such dog is being trained or bred for such purpose, and does not qualify under federal or state law or regulations as a service dog. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Variable Rate: Having a "variable" rate means that the APR changes from time to time based on fluctuations in an external rate, normally the Prime Rate. This external rate is known as the "index." If the index changes, the variable rate normally changes. Also see Fixed Rate.
• War dog: means any dog which has been honorably discharged from the United States armed services. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108
• Working search dog: means any dog that is trained to aid in the search for missing persons and is actually used for such purpose. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 108