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Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Reported and committed to finance
- Notice of committee consideration - requested
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Defeated in investigations and government operations
- Notice of committee consideration - requested
- Referred to investigations and government operations
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.
Prohibits state reimbursement of campaign and political committees, legal defense fund for payments made on behalf of the criminal defense of a state employee
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Brian Kavanagh
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S2262
Title of bill
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to prohibiting reimbursement of campaign committees and legal defense funds for defense costs incurred on behalf of state employees
Purpose
To close a loophole in New York's ethics laws, preventing state taxpayer money from being used to reimburse campaign or legal defense accounts.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends subdivision 2 of section 19 of the Public Officers Law preventing any state reimbursement to a campaign account or legal defense account for attorneys fees and litigation expenses to a public official after an acquittal or dismissal. Additionally, no reimbursement shall be made to a state employee who has a legal defense account until all funds from such account have been expended.
Justification
Currently, when a state employee is acquitted of criminal charges arising from his or her duties while in office, or has such charges dismissed, the State provides reimbursement for all attorneys fees and litigation expenses, subject to the approval of the Attorney General and the Comptroller. The situation has arisen, however, where state employees have paid for such costs using campaign funds or a special legal defense fund, and subsequently require the taxpayers to reimburse dormant campaign or legal defense accounts.
This bill will protect taxpayers by preventing reimbursements to a campaign committee or legal defense fund. Additionally, the bill provides that if a criminal defendant has a legal defense fund, he or she will be required to expend all money in the account before he or she would be entitled to any taxpayer reimbursement.
Legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications
Such reimbursements in the past have totaled millions of dollars for single cases. Preventing such reimbursements would result in substantial savings to the state.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.