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S5010Senate2015-2016 SessionSame asA5768

Provides that each state agency that maintains a website shall ensure its website provides for online submission of requests for records subject to FOIL

Sponsor Carl L. MarcellinoSD-5Affects Legal
Status
In Senate Committee
Investigations And Government Operations
Impact
Pending
Passage
Pending

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Investigations And Government Operations

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Who cares

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Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Carl L. Marcellino

Senator · Senate District 5

Chair, Infrastructure And Capital InvestmentChair, Investigations And Government Operations

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Referred to investigations and government operations
  2. Referred to investigations and government operations

Companion bill

Full text

The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.

Sponsor's memo

BILL NUMBER:S5010

Title of bill

An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to allowing the public to submit requests for access to the records of a state agency by use of an online form

Purpose of bill

This bill would promote open government by requiring state agency websites to provide for the online submission of requests for public access to records.

Summary of provisions

§ 1 adds a new paragraph (c) to subdivision 3 of § 89 of the Public Officers Law to require that each state agency (as defined in subdivision five of § 89) that maintains a website shall ensure that such website provides for the online submission of a request for records pursuant to this article.

Effects of present law which this bill would alter

The Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) currently requires agencies to accept e-mail requests for records, but has no requirement to provide an online FOIL request form.

Justification

Online forms for FOIL requests have been identified as a useful best practice for New York State agencies by organizations promoting government transparency Some agencies already feature such forms on their websites. FOIL provides that agency records are presumptively available to the public, but the failure to keep up with technological advances can create roadblocks to such access. Provision of an online FOIL request form is a low-cost, high-impact means of increasing the accessibility of information to the public in an efficient and convenient manner,

Legislative history

This is a new bill.

Fiscal implications

Minimal

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.