S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    783
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the general  municipal  law,  in  relation  to  removing
   certain  requirements  for  official websites of small municipalities;
   and to amend a chapter of the laws  of  2024  amending    the  general
   municipal law relating to requiring  municipalities to maintain munic-
   ipal  websites, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3353-A and
   A. 2852-A, in relation to the effectiveness thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  300  of the general municipal law, as added by a
 chapter of the laws of 2024 amending  the general municipal law relating
 to requiring  municipalities to maintain municipal websites, as proposed
 in legislative bills numbers S. 3353-A and A. 2852-A, is amended to read
 as follows:
   § 300. Municipal websites. 1.  All  municipal  corporations  HAVING  A
 POPULATION,  AS  SHOWN BY THE LATEST PRECEDING DECENNIAL FEDERAL CENSUS,
 EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED PERSONS, shall  main-
 tain an official website with a ".gov" domain name that is accessible to
 the  public  and  update such website regularly[. The], AS FOLLOWS:  THE
 official website shall contain basic  information  on  the  municipality
 including  but not limited to hours of operations, elected officials and
 services provided[. The] AND THE website shall contain a privacy  policy
 that  is  prominently  posted and written in plain language that informs
 website visitors of any personal information that is being collected and
 how it is being used; PROVIDED HOWEVER, THAT ANY  MUNICIPAL  CORPORATION
 HAVING  A POPULATION, AS SHOWN BY THE LATEST PRECEDING DECENNIAL FEDERAL
 CENSUS, OF LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND   FIVE HUNDRED PERSONS,  SHALL  COMPLY
 WITH  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THIS  SECTION  TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE. FOR
 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION THAT HOSTS  ITS  OFFI-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02683-01-5
 S. 783                              2
 
 CIAL  WEBSITE ON ANOTHER MUNICIPAL CORPORATION'S ".GOV" UNIFORM RESOURCE
 LOCATOR (URL) WILL SATISFY THIS SECTION'S  REQUIREMENT  TO  MAINTAIN  AN
 OFFICIAL WEBSITE WITH A ".GOV" DOMAIN NAME.
   2. [Municipal] ALL MUNICIPAL websites OF MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS HAVING
 A POPULATION, AS SHOWN BY THE LATEST PRECEDING DECENNIAL FEDERAL CENSUS,
 EQUAL  TO  OR GREATER THAN ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED PERSONS shall, at a
 minimum, contain the following information:
   a. all documents required by subdivision seven of  section  thirty  of
 this chapter;
   b. notice of all municipal elections, public hearings and public meet-
 ings including regular board or legislative meetings;
   c.  agenda  and  minutes  of municipal meetings as required by article
 seven of the public officers law; and
   d. an up to date version of, or an active hyperlink  to,  the  munici-
 pality's codes or local laws and resolutions; PROVIDED HOWEVER, THAT ANY
 MUNICIPAL  CORPORATION  HAVING  A  POPULATION,  AS  SHOWN  BY THE LATEST
 PRECEDING DECENNIAL FEDERAL CENSUS,  OF  LESS  THAN  ONE  THOUSAND  FIVE
 HUNDRED PERSONS, SHALL COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION TO THE
 EXTENT PRACTICABLE.
   §  2.  Subdivision  7  of  section 30 of the general municipal law, as
 amended by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the general  municipal
 law   relating  to  requiring    municipalities  to  maintain  municipal
 websites, as proposed in legislative bills  numbers  S.  3353-A  and  A.
 2852-A,  is amended to read as follows:
   7.  Each  municipal corporation shall make accessible to the public on
 its [official] municipal website required under  article  thirteen-E  of
 this  chapter  documentation pertaining to its most recent annual finan-
 cial reports, current year budget, most recent independent audit  report
 and  most  recent  fiscal  performance  plan or multiyear financial plan
 required pursuant to paragraph g of subdivision ten  of  section  fifty-
 four  of  the  state  finance law, unless such information is covered by
 subdivision two of section eighty-seven of the public officers law.
   § 3.  Section 3 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the  general
 municipal  law relating to requiring  municipalities to maintain munici-
 pal websites, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3353-A and  A.
 2852-A,  is amended to read as follows:
   § 3. This act shall take effect [on the one hundred eightieth day] ONE
 YEAR after it shall have become a law.
   §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 section one and two of this act shall take effect on the same  date  and
 in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the general
 municipal law relating to   requiring  municipalities to maintain munic-
 ipal websites, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3353-A and A.
 2852-A,  takes effect.