Relates to agency reports

5 Co-sponsors

• Joseph A. Griffo
• Owen H. Johnson
• William J. Larkin Jr.
• George D. Maziarz
• Michael H. Ranzenhofer

BILL NUMBER:S2899A

Title of bill

An act to amend the New York state printing and public documents law, in relation to agency reports

Purpose

To eliminate excessive paperwork while ensuring that state legislators, legislative staff, and the public have access, via the Internet, to important state agency publications.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 -- Amends subdivision 4 of section 12 of the New York State Printing and Public Documents Law. Establishes that when a report is required to be created by a state agency, the agency must notify the appropriate legislative offices that the document will be posted on the New York State Agency Documents Website.

Section 2 -- Effective date.

Existing law

Subdivision 4 of section 12 of the New York State Printing and Public Documents Law currently allows state agencies that are required to make certain reports to the State Legislature to fulfill this requirement by either delivering a printed copy of the document to the specified legislators or the agency may make the report available on its Internet website. If the agency makes the report available on its web site, it must inform the required members of the legislature of the report's availability on the Internet. Those legislators have the options of requesting a printed copy of the document.

Justification

In 2005, the State Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law the Reporting Requirement Reform Act. This act corrected some significant deficiencies in the way reports by agencies are submitted to the State Legislature. The Reporting Requirement Reform Act simplified reporting requirements and at the same time eliminated unnecessary reporting requirements.

This bill seeks to build upon and enhance the Reporting Requirement Reform Act by further eliminating unneeded printed documents. Under this bill, reporting requirements by state agencies will be fulfilled by posting those reports on the Internet at the New York State Agency Documents Website (which is established by section 2 of this bill). This legislation, however, allows members of the State Legislature who are still uncomfortable with the Internet to request a printed copy of their desired report.

Legislative history

S.6574/A.10084 of 2005-2006 S.1828-B/A.10153-B of 2007-2008 S.1491/A.650 of 2009-201O

Fiscal implications

Undetermined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.