NY State Senate Bill 2015-S7157

Senate Bill S7157

Signed By Governor

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Requires state authorities to conduct open meetings and provide an internet broadcast of its meetings, where practicable

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Sep 09, 2016	signed chap.319
Aug 30, 2016	delivered to governor
Jun 08, 2016	returned to senate passed assembly ordered to third reading rules cal.87 substituted for a9998 referred to corporations, authorities and commissions delivered to assembly passed senate
May 09, 2016	advanced to third reading
May 05, 2016	2nd report cal.
May 04, 2016	1st report cal.709
Mar 31, 2016	referred to investigations and government operations

Votes

- Jun 8, 2016 - Floor Vote
  S7157
  
  60
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  3
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Jun 8, 2016
      
      aye (60)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Akshar
      
      Amedore
      
      Avella
      
      Bonacic
      
      Boyle
      
      Breslin
      
      Carlucci
      
      Comrie
      
      Croci
      
      DeFrancisco
      
      Dilan
      
      Farley
      
      Felder
      
      Flanagan
      
      Funke
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Golden
      
      Griffo
      
      Hamilton
      
      Hannon
      
      Hassell-Thompson
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Kennedy
      
      Klein
      
      Krueger
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Larkin
      
      Latimer
      
      Little
      
      Marcellino
      
      Marchione
      
      Martins
      
      Montgomery
      
      Murphy
      
      Nozzolio
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      Parker
      
      Peralta
      
      Perkins
      
      Persaud
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Ritchie
      
      Rivera
      
      Robach
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Savino
      
      Serino
      
      Serrano
      
      Seward
      
      Squadron
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Valesky
      
      Venditto
      
      Young
      
      excused (3)
      
      Diaz
      
      Espaillat
      
      Panepinto
  May 4, 2016 - Investigations And Government Operations Committee Vote
  S7157
  
  7
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  2
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Investigations And Government Operations Committee Vote: May 4, 2016
      
      aye (7)
      
      Carlucci
      
      Golden
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Lanza
      
      Murphy
      
      O'Mara
      
      Squadron
      
      excused (2)
      
      Diaz
      
      Nozzolio

2015-S7157 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9998
Law Section:: Public Officers Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §103, Pub Off L

2015-S7157 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires state authorities to conduct open meetings and provide an internet broadcast of its meetings, where practicable.

2015-S7157 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S7157

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring open
meetings and the internet broadcast of open meetings of each state
authority, where practicable

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

This bill would require state authorities to webcast, record, archive
and provide access to their meetings via the Internet to the public.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1. Subdivision (f) of section 103 of the public officers law,
2 as added by chapter 519 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as 3
follows:

(f) Open meetings of an agency or authority shall be, to the extent
practicable and within available funds, broadcast to the public and 6
maintained as records of the agency or authority. If the agency or
authority maintains a website and utilizes a high speed Internet
connection, such open meeting shall be, to the extent practicable and
within available funds, streamed on such website in real-time, and
posted on such website within and for a reasonable time after the

meeting.

 JUSTIFICATION :

This bill would ensure that the public business being performed at
state and local public benefit corporations is in an open and public
manner which is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society
and to the ensure transparency and accountability at state public
authorities. New affordable and innovative technology allows all
public authorities to webcast their meetings. This bill would
modernize the open meeting law for the 21st century. Under this law,
New Yorkers would be provided a window into the secluded board rooms
where decisions impacting the public happen every day. Just as the
state legislative proceeding are webcast and archived so should the
entities that are delegated legislative authority. For the majority of
the public who cannot personally attend board meetings, this would
allow them to access them from home, at work or at a time/place
convenient for them.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

This is a new bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

Undetermined

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect 180 days after it shall become law.

2015-S7157 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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

                                  7157

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             March 31, 2016
                               ___________

Introduced by Sen. ESPAILLAT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
  ment Operations

AN  ACT  to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring open
  meetings and the internet broadcast of open  meetings  of  each  state
  authority, where practicable

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

  Section 1. Subdivision (f) of section 103 of the public officers  law,
as  added  by  chapter  519  of  the laws of 2015, is amended to read as
follows:
  (f) Open meetings of an agency OR AUTHORITY shall be,  to  the  extent
practicable  and  within  available  funds,  broadcast to the public and
maintained as records of the agency  OR  AUTHORITY.  If  the  agency  OR
AUTHORITY  maintains  a  website  and  utilizes  a  high  speed internet
connection, such open meeting shall be, to the  extent  practicable  and
within available funds, streamed on such website in real-time, and post-
ed  on  such website within and for a reasonable time after the meeting.
For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "agency" shall mean  only
a  state  department, board, bureau, division, council or office and any
public corporation the majority of whose members are  appointed  by  the
governor.  FOR  PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM "AUTHORITY" SHALL
MEAN A PUBLIC AUTHORITY OR PUBLIC  BENEFIT  CORPORATION  CREATED  BY  OR
EXISTING UNDER ANY STATE LAW, AT LEAST ONE OF WHOSE MEMBERS IS APPOINTED
BY  THE GOVERNOR (INCLUDING ANY SUBSIDIARIES OF SUCH PUBLIC AUTHORITY OR
PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION), OTHER THAN AN INTERSTATE  OR  INTERNATIONAL
AUTHORITY OR PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION.
  S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
it shall have become a law.


 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01911-08-6

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.