BILL NUMBER: S4724

SPONSOR: FAHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to ensuring identical
health benefits for skilled nursing care for public retirees

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this legislation is to increase transparency and to
educate the public about who represents them by requiring members of the
legislature and candidates for such elected office to post their finan-
cial disclosure statements in visible domains for constituents and the
electorate to easily access them.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends Section 73-a (21 of the Public Officers Law
by adding new subparagraphs (ii) and (iii), which would require every
member of the legislature and legislative candidate who maintain any
website for service in their official state or campaign capacities to
              

post their annual financial disclosure statements on such websites.

Section 2 of the bill establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011 required New York State govern-
ment officials and State legislative candidates to file financial
disclosure statements to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE)
on an annual basis. The financial disclosure statements must be submit-
ted to JCOPE by May 15 of each calendar year, where they are thoroughly
review by the commission. After the commission approves the statements
for public posting, JCOPE is required to post such statements on their
website by June 30 of each calendar year. The intent of the act was to
comprehensively reform both the requirements and enforcement of public
ethics in the state.

The intent of the act is laudable for its efforts to restore public
confidence in our government by requiring the disclosure of outside
income sources of elected officials. However, there appears to be a gap
between the posting of statements on JCOPE's website and the accessibil-
ity for the public to find such statements.

This legislation seeks to remedy the issue by requiring State legisla-
tors and State legislative candidates to post their annual financial
disclosure forms, which have already been reviewed and approved by JCOPE
for public posting, on their official state and campaign websites. It is
vital to increase the transparency of our government and to educate
constituents and the electorate about who represents them. Access to the
outside income of our elected officials and candidates for such offices
will promote the much-needed public trust in this state.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021/2022: S1500a - Advanced to 3rd Reading

2019/2020: S.1007 Referred to Finance
2017/2018: S.4726 Referred to Finance

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, however that Section 2 of this
act shall take effect on January 1, 2024.