NY State Senate Bill 2021-S539

Senate Bill S539

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Requires each local government to live stream and post video recordings of all open meetings and public hearings

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations Committee

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

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to investigations and government operations
Jan 06, 2021	referred to investigations and government operations

2021-S539 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6640
Current Committee:: Senate Investigations And Government Operations
Law Section:: Public Officers Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §104, Pub Off L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S8868, A10937
2023-2024: S4476, A3991

2021-S539 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires each local government to live stream and post video recordings of all open meetings and public hearings; requires each local government to post such recordings for a period of not less than five years.

2021-S539 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S539

SPONSOR: KAPLAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring all
local governments to live stream open meetings and public hearings and
make the recordings of such meetings and hearings available on the
webpage of the local government

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation would require local governments live stream open meet-
ings and public hearing, as well as to make these recordings available
on their website for a minimum of five years.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 104 by adding a new subdivision 5-a which would
require local governments to the extent practicable stream all open
meetings and public hearings on its website in real time. Further, this

section requires video recordings to be posted within five days of the
meeting or public hearing, and shall maintain these recordings for not
less than five years. Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo has issued an executive
order calling for the live streaming of public meetings as local govern-
ments met remotely. Local governments adjusted and were able to comply
with this executive order, and the public has embraced this increased
accessibility to their elected officials. In Buffalo, a City Council
meeting had over 18,000 views, and in Ogdensburg a server crashed as
over 3,000 constituents attempted to view the meeting. These are two
examples that show how embraced this concept is by the public. Govern-
ment, both on the State and Local level should be doing everything
possible to increase public participation, and this legislation attempts
to increase accessibility to the public. In addition, Chapter 185, of
the Laws of 2019 required IDA's to adhere to the same requirements as
constructed within this legislation.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S. 8868/A. 10937 of 2020; Referred to Senate Rules Committee

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day.

2021-S539 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    539
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  KAPLAN -- 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  all
   local governments to live stream open meetings and public hearings and
   make  the  recordings  of  such meetings and hearings available on the
   webpage of the local government
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 104 of the public officers law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision 5-a to read as follows:
   5-A.  LOCAL  GOVERNMENTS SHALL BE REQUIRED, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE,
 TO STREAM ALL OPEN MEETINGS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS ON ITS WEBSITE IN  REAL-
 TIME. EACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHALL POST VIDEO RECORDINGS OF ALL SUCH OPEN
 MEETINGS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS ON ITS WEBSITE WITHIN FIVE BUSINESS DAYS OF
 THE  MEETING  OR HEARING AND SHALL MAINTAIN SUCH RECORDINGS FOR A PERIOD
 OF NOT LESS THAN FIVE YEARS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04864-01-1

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