What's happening
This bill requires the New York State Design and Construction Corporation to hold public meetings and make meeting agendas and minutes publicly available.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and public oversight. by requiring all business and decision-making of the Design and Construction Corporation to occur in public meetings, limiting behind-closed-doors actions that could affect major state projects.
Mandates advance disclosure. of meeting agendas on a publicly accessible website, giving the public and stakeholders at least five days’ notice about what will be discussed or decided, which can help watchdog groups and concerned citizens prepare and participate.
Requires timely publication of meeting minutes. (within five days), ensuring the public can track decisions, votes, and discussions—making it harder for controversial or problematic actions to go unnoticed.
Subjects the corporation to state open meetings and freedom of information laws. , which expands the tools available for journalists, advocates, and ordinary citizens to hold the corporation accountable for its actions and spending.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Make Meetings Public
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4083
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 1, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ABINANTI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the New York state design and construction corporation to meet and conduct all business at a public meeting and making the minutes of such meetings available to the public
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authorities law, as amended by section 1 of part I of chapter 73 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
4. General powers and duties of the corporation. (a) The corporation shall have the power to:
(i) Sue and be sued;
(ii) Have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;
(iii) Make and alter by-laws for its organization and internal management and make rules and regulations governing same;
(iv) Assign such officers and employees from the officers and employees of the authority, as it may require for the performance of its duties and, for those officers and employees who are not represented by a recognized employee organization, fix and determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation;
(v) Retain or employ counsel, auditors, private financial consultants, professional engineers or other technical consultants and other services on a contract basis or otherwise, for the rendering of professional, business or technical services and advice;
(vi) Make and execute contracts and all other instruments necessary or convenient for the exercise of its powers and functions under this section;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03955-01-7
A. 4083 2
(vii) Engage the services of private consultants on a contract basis for rendering professional and technical assistance advice relating to covered projects;
(viii) Procure insurance against any loss in connection with its activities, properties and other assets, in such amount and from such insurance as it deems desirable; and
(ix) Invest any funds of the corporation, or any other monies under its custody and control not required for immediate use or disbursement, at the discretion of the corporation, in obligations of the state or the United States government or obligations the principal and interest of which are obligations in which the comptroller of the state is authorized to invest pursuant to section ninety-eight of the state finance law.
(b) The corporation shall be required to:
(i) Meet and conduct all business at a public meeting;
(ii) Be subject to the provisions of articles six and seven of this chapter;
(iii) Consider at its meetings only items set forth on its agenda which shall be published five days in advance of a meeting on a website accessible by the public; and
(iv) Record minutes of all business conducted at said meetings which minutes shall be published within five days after the meeting on a website accessible to the public.
(c) The corporation may do any and all things necessary to carry out and exercise the powers given and granted by this section.
[(c)] (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, to the contrary, all state entities and their officers shall cooperate with the corporation in good faith and may implement the recommendations of the corporation.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the amendments to subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authorities law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.