Governor Signs Open Government Legislation Authored by Senator Valesky

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—In a victory for open government, transparency and accountability, two bills authored by State Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida) were signed into law this week.

S. 3195B allows any meeting of a public body to be recorded, broadcast, webcast and photographed. Though proceedings of public bodies have been open to the public since 1977, this bill extends accessibility and transparency by giving citizens the right to record and broadcast those proceedings.

S.4284 ensures that public meetings are held in rooms that sufficiently accommodate the expected audience. The bill encourages public bodies to keep public interest and audience size in mind when scheduling public meetings, to make sure that those who want to attend can reasonably do so.

“We continue to make good progress on opening up government so that all New Yorkers are guaranteed the right to know what government is doing, with whom and why,” Senator Valesky said. “I am pleased that the Governor recognizes the importance of ensuring the public’s access to public meetings and signed these bills into  law.”

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