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A5783Assembly2017-2018 Session

Broaden Public Body Definition

Official title

“Relates to amending the definition of "public body"”

Sponsor Amy PaulinAD-88+14 co-sponsors
Status
In Assembly Committee
Governmental Operations
Impact
4/10
Low
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Governmental Operations

What's happening

This bill expands the definition of "public body" under New York law to include additional entities involved in state decision-making.

Why it matters

  1. Broadens government transparency. By expanding which entities are considered “public bodies,” more committees, subcommittees, and appointed groups involved in state decision-making will likely be subject to open meetings laws, increasing public oversight of government actions.

  2. Covers informal and advisory groups. The new language explicitly includes entities created or appointed to perform necessary functions in the decision-making process, not just formal agencies—potentially encompassing advisory boards or task forces that previously operated outside of sunshine law requirements.

  3. Reduces loopholes in existing law. By removing the requirement that a public body perform a strictly “governmental” function and instead focusing on their role in state-related decision-making, the bill closes gaps that allowed some influential groups to avoid transparency measures.

  4. Impacts accountability and public trust. With more bodies required to conduct business openly, the public can better track how decisions are made and who is involved, fostering greater accountability in state government operations.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Broaden Public Body Definition

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Amy Paulin

Assembly Member · Assembly District 88

Chair, Health

History

  1. Referred to governmental operations
  2. Referred to governmental operations

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

5783

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

February 15, 2017

Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, BLAKE, BUCHWALD, GALEF, ABINANTI, CARROLL, COOK, DINOWITZ, GOTTFRIED, LUPARDO, RICHARDSON, ROSENTHAL, SKOUFIS, ZEBROWSKI, LUPINACCI, MONTESANO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, NIOU, SIMON, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations

AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to amending the definition of a "public body"

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 102 of the public officers law, as amended by chapter 704 of the laws of 1979 and such section as renumbered by chapter 652 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read as follows:

2. "Public body" means any entity, for which a quorum is required in order to conduct public business and which consists of two or more members, performing a [governmental] function for the state or for an agency or department thereof, or for a public corporation as defined in section sixty-six of the general construction law, or committee or subcommittee or other similar body consisting of members of such public body or an entity created or appointed to perform a necessary function in the decision-making process.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD08466-01-7

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.