Amends the required financial disclosure forms

9 Co-sponsors

• Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
• Tony Avella
• Timothy M. Kennedy
• Liz Krueger
• Suzi Oppenheimer
• John L. Sampson
• José M. Serrano
• Daniel L. Squadron
• Toby Ann Stavisky

BILL NUMBER:S382

Title of bill

An act to amend the public officers law, the executive law and the legislative law, in relation to financial disclosure forms

Purpose

This legislation will lead to greater transparency of its public officers (including legislators and many legislative employees) with the required disclosure of attorney clients and other professions' clients within the annual financial disclosure statement, by creating new income disclosure categories in the statement, and by requiring public officers to report business dealings with lobbyists.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 amends subdivision 3 of section 73-a of the public officers law to make changes to the annual financial disclosure form to, among other things, include attorney-client disclosures and new categories of value for reporting income.

Section 2 adds a new section 74-b to the public officers law requiring reporting of business dealings with lobbyists.

Sections 3 and 4 provide for an exemption for disclosure of clients on the annual disclosure form if disclosure would violate a privilege or create an unreasonable hardship and includes prohibitions on disclosure of clients on financial disclosure forms when doing so would violate a privilege.

Section 5 contains a severability clause.

Section 6 contains the effective dates.

Existing law

This act amends section 73-a of the public officers law, adds a new section, 74-b, to the public officers law, and amends the executive and legislative laws relating to financial disclosure.

Justification

This bill will help create much-needed transparency in state government by eliminating blanket exemptions of disclosure currently available to elected officials. All elected officials will now have to disclose all their clients as well as any business dealings they may have with lobbyists, with limited exceptions. Requiring increased disclosure by public officials will avoid appearances of conflicts of interest or questions about outside business relationships, and will hopefully increase the public's confidence in our elected officials.

Legislative history

This is new legislation.

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

The first of January next succeeding the date upon which it shall have become a law.