What's happening
Writing a plain-English summary… Track this bill to get it by email.
Why it matters
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 6888a
- Amend (t) and recommit to finance
- Referred to finance
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.
Relates to meetings and proceedings of the joint commission on public ethics
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Amy Paulin
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to meetings and proceedings of the joint commission on public ethics
Purpose or general idea of bill
To require the Joint Commission on Public Ethics to comply with the requirements of the Open Meetings Law.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one provides that meetings and proceedings of the Commission shall be open to the public pursuant to the Open Meetings Law.
Section two provides the effective date.
Justification
Under current law, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) is exempt from the Open Meetings Law. Unlike other government entities, JCOPE proceedings take place in secret, and as of now, details related to their proceedings cannot be made public.
In November of 2015, the Albany Times-Union released an editorial highlighting the flaws of the state's ethics commission. It was noted that JCOPE is "too secretive and too susceptible to conflicts of interests," and has the power to stymie investigations all while functioning with the protection of exemption from the Open Meetings Law.
This lack of transparency and accountability has led to the public's great mistrust of the legislature. In its annual report to the Governor and State Legislature, the Committee on Open Government endorsed this proposed legislation as a way to address this issue, and increase the accountability of JCOPE to the public. Bringing JCOPE under the purview of the Open Meetings Law will help to restore the public's confidence in the integrity of the legislative system.
Prior legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
No fiscal impact to the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.