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Who cares
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Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Reported and committed to finance
- Reported and committed to codes
- Referred to elections
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Provides for a state board of elections enforcement unit and counsel
In Assembly Committee · Election Law · Sponsor Brian Kavanagh
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to providing for a state board of elections enforcement unit and counsel
Summary and description of provisions
The bill creates a campaign finance enforcement unit within the State Board of Elections and makes the office of campaign finance enforcement counsel a four-year term. It also makes the office of special counsel - the other legal unit at the SBOE - a four-year term, and codifies the requirement that the deputy in each unit be a member of the opposite political party than the counsel.
The bill changes the way that campaign finance enforcement matters are processed at the SBOE by requiring three of the four SBOE commissioners to vote to stop an investigation by the enforcement counsel, rather than requiring, as current law does, three votes to begin an investigation.
The bill mandates that all votes to stop an investigation, or to act on the recommendation of the enforcement counsel after an investigation, occur in public.
The bill codifies an enforcement unit within the State Board of Elections (SBOE) with a mandate that at least 3S percent of the SBOE's annual budget be dedicated to the unit to promote increased enforcement of campaign finance laws.
Legislative history
New bill.
Justification
This bill will promote increased enforcement and compliance with the state's campaign finance laws by codifying an enforcement unit within the SBOE and ensuring the unit's independence by giving it a fixed four-year term. Furthermore, unlike status quo, the SBOE will be required under this bill to vote affirmatively to stop a campaign finance investigation from proceeding, and requires that such decision be made in public. These measures will create, for the first time, meaningful enforcement at the State Board of Elections to pursue campaign finance violations.
Fiscal implications
The State of New York shall appropriate at least 35% of the State Board of Elections' annual budget to the enforcement unit charged enforcement of state campaign finance laws.
Effective date
This act takes effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.