What's happening
This bill prohibits naming state-funded facilities after living public officials unless they have been out of office for ten years, with exceptions for legislative and gubernatorial approval.
Why it matters
Seeks to curb the use of public honors for political advantage by preventing sitting or recently retired officials from having state-funded facilities named after them, unless a significant amount of time (ten years) has passed since they left office. This may reduce the perception or reality of politicians leveraging their position for personal legacy-building.
Establishes a formal process for exceptions that requires both legislative and gubernatorial approval,. which adds transparency and a higher bar for justifying honors, potentially making it harder to bypass the rule for political allies.
Empowers the state attorney general to enforce these rules through civil action,. signaling that there will be legal consequences for entities that attempt to skirt the law, thereby strengthening accountability and ensuring compliance.
Could impact the culture of naming public projects by shifting focus from honoring living officials to recognizing longer-term contributions or historical figures,. which may foster more merit-based and less politically motivated commemorations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Naming Buildings for Politicians
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred 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.
Ban Naming Buildings After Politicians
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor John T. McDonald III
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1425
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to enacting the "politician self-immortalization prevention act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "politician self-immortalization prevention act".
§ 2. The public officers law is amended by adding a new section 73-c to read as follows:
§ 73-c. Naming of facilities after public officials; prohibited. 1. No facility, the construction, rehabilitation or operation of which is supported by state funds, may be named after a living person who is subject to the provisions of this article unless such person has been out of public office for at least ten years.
2. The prohibition set forth in this section shall not apply where the legislature approves the naming of such facility in the manner provided for in section fourteen of article three of the state constitution, and the governor approves the naming of such facility in the manner provided for in section seven of article four of the state constitution.
3. Where any person, municipal corporation or other entity violates the provisions of this section, the attorney general may initiate a civil action to enforce the prohibition set forth in this section.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00642-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to enacting the "politician self-immortalization prevention act"
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this bill is to eliminate the politicization of naming facilities after sitting public officials, by prohibiting such namings while a public official is still in office.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the public officers law by adding a new section, 73-c. This section prohibits the naming of facilities whose construction, rehabilitation or operation is supported by state funds after any public official who is living unless they have been out of public office for at least ten years. This prohibition will not apply when the legislature approves the naming of the facility in accordance with section fourteen of article three of the state constitution, and when the governor approves the naming in a manner provided for in section seven of article four of the state constitution. The attorney general may initiate a civil action against any entity that violates the provisions of this new section.
Section 2 provides for this act to take effect immediately.
Justification
The naming of a facility which is supported by state funds after an elected official while that elected official is still in office should be prohibited. This legislation would prevent the perception of any quid pro quo agreements between elected officials and entities that receive state funds. It would also serve to remove another existing advantage that incumbent elected officials are able to enjoy in New York State. Further, this prohibition opens municipalities up to revenue generating possibilities by allowing for the process of open bidding for naming rights.
Prior legislative history
2015-16: S.917/A.293 (Rozic) 2013-14 S.688/A.9126 (Rozic) 2011-12: S.3868/A.203 (Lancman) 2009-10: S.1558 (C.Johnson)/A.9909 (Lancman)
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
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.