S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  8314

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              June 13, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. NOLAN -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Education

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to meetings and  absences
  of the board of regents

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Section 204 of the education law  is  amended  to  read  as
follows:
  S 204. Meetings and absences. 1. (A) The regents may provide for regu-
lar  meetings[, and the chancellor, or the commissioner of education, or
any five regents, may at any time call a special meeting of the board of
regents and fix the time and place therefor;  and  at  least  ten  days'
notice  of  every  meeting  shall be mailed to the usual address of each
regent.  If any regent shall fail to attend three consecutive  meetings,
without excuse accepted as satisfactory by the regents, he may be deemed
to  have  resigned  and the regents shall then report the vacancy to the
legislature, which shall fill it]  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  AND  ANY
COMMITTEE,  TASK  FORCE,  COUNCIL OR OTHER BODY THEREOF. NOTICE OF TIME,
PLACE AND AGENDA FOR ALL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS
AND ANY COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, COUNCIL OR OTHER SUCH BODY OF  THE  BOARD
SHALL BE PUBLICLY PROVIDED AT LEAST TEN DAYS IN ADVANCE OF SUCH MEETING.
SUCH  NOTICE  OF  TIME,  PLACE  AND  AGENDA SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED VIA THE
BOARD'S OFFICIAL INTERNET WEBSITE AND SPECIFICALLY DISTRIBUTED BY UNITED
STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO ALL REGENTS AT THEIR USUAL ADDRESSES AND, IF  A
MEETING  OF  A  COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, COUNCIL OR OTHER SUCH BODY OF THE
BOARD, BY SUCH MEANS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES
POSTAL SERVICE OR ELECTRONIC MEANS, AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMITTEE, TASK
FORCE,  COUNCIL OR OTHER SUCH BODY. AN AGENDA FOR A REGULAR PUBLIC MEET-
ING OF THE BOARD OR ANY COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE,  COUNCIL  OR  OTHER  BODY
THEREOF,  SHALL  BE COMPRISED OF A LIST OF ALL ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED, A
DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF EACH SUCH ITEM AND THE FULL TEXT OF

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD13075-01-1
              

A. 8314                             2

ALL ITEMS SUBJECT TO A VOTE AND THE NAME OF A PERSON KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT
THE AGENDA AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR  SUCH  PERSON,  INCLUDING  OFFICE
ADDRESS,  E-MAIL  ADDRESS,  AND  TELEPHONE NUMBER, FROM WHOM INFORMATION
ABOUT  THE  AGENDA  MAY  BE OBTAINED AND TO WHOM WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY BE
SUBMITTED. THE NOTICE AND AGENDA SHALL BE CONSIDERED A PUBLIC RECORD.
  (B) THE CHANCELLOR OR THE COMMISSIONER, OR ANY FIVE  REGENTS,  MAY  AT
ANY TIME CALL A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND FIX THE TIME
AND  PLACE  THEREFOR.  NOTICE  OF TIME, PLACE AND AGENDA FOR ALL REGULAR
PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND ANY COMMITTEE,  TASK  FORCE,
COUNCIL  OR  OTHER  SUCH BODY OF THE BOARD SHALL BE PUBLICLY PROVIDED AT
LEAST THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE OF SUCH MEETING. SUCH NOTICE OF TIME,  PLACE
AND  AGENDA  SHALL  BE  DISTRIBUTED  VIA  THE  BOARD'S OFFICIAL INTERNET
WEBSITE AND SPECIFICALLY CIRCULATED ACCORDING TO  THE  RULES  AND  REGU-
LATIONS  OF  THE  REGENTS  TO  ALL REGENTS. THE BOARD OF REGENTS SPECIAL
PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA SHALL BE COMPRISED OF A LIST OF ALL  ITEMS  TO  BE
CONSIDERED,  A  DESCRIPTION  OF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF EACH SUCH ITEM AND
THE FULL TEXT OF ALL ITEMS SUBJECT TO A VOTE AND THE NAME  OF  A  PERSON
KNOWLEDGEABLE  ABOUT THE AGENDA AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SUCH PERSON,
INCLUDING OFFICE ADDRESS, E-MAIL ADDRESS,  AND  TELEPHONE  NUMBER,  FROM
WHOM  INFORMATION  ABOUT  THE AGENDA MAY BE OBTAINED AND TO WHOM WRITTEN
COMMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED. THE NOTICE AND AGENDA SHALL BE  CONSIDERED  A
PUBLIC RECORD.
  2.  ANY MEETING OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND ANY COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE,
COUNCIL OR OTHER SUCH BODY SHALL BE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE
SEVEN OF THE PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW.
  3. A SUMMARY OF RESOLUTIONS, DECISIONS AND OTHER ACTIONS BY THE  BOARD
OF  REGENTS AND ANY COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, COUNCIL OR OTHER BODY THEREOF
FOR ANY MEETING SHALL  BE  ELECTRONICALLY  AVAILABLE  ON  THE  BOARD  OF
REGENTS WEBSITE NO LATER THAN FIVE DAYS FOLLOWING SUCH MEETING AND SHALL
BE  CONSIDERED A PUBLIC RECORD. THE APPROVED MINUTES, ATTENDANCE, VOTING
RECORD AND EITHER TRANSCRIPTS OR VIDEO RECORD FOR ANY  MEETING  MUST  BE
POSTED  NO  LATER  THAN  FIVE  DAYS FOLLOWING THE APPROVAL BY THE BOARD,
COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, COUNCIL OR OTHER SUCH BODY. INFORMATION POSTED ON
THE BOARD OF REGENTS WEBSITE SHALL REMAIN ON THE SITE AS  ARCHIVED  DATA
FOR A MINIMUM OF TEN YEARS.
  4.  IF  ANY  REGENT  SHALL  FAIL TO ATTEND THREE CONSECUTIVE MEETINGS,
WITHOUT EXCUSE ACCEPTED AS SATISFACTORY BY THE REGENTS, THAT REGENT  MAY
BE DEEMED TO HAVE RESIGNED AND THE REGENTS SHALL THEN REPORT THE VACANCY
TO THE LEGISLATURE WHICH SHALL FILL IT.
  S  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law.