What's happening
This bill repeals certain provisions of the executive and legislative laws regarding which records are available for public inspection.
Why it matters
Altering Public Access. By repealing these specific subdivisions, the bill changes which government records are available for public inspection, potentially reducing public access to certain executive and legislative documents.
Transparency and Accountability Impacts. The removal of these provisions could make it more difficult for citizens, journalists, and watchdog groups to obtain information about government operations, which may impact oversight and transparency.
Legal and Administrative Uncertainty. Eliminating clear statutory language about which records are open to the public could create confusion for both government agencies and the public regarding what information must be disclosed.
Broader Implications for Open Government. This move could set a precedent for further limitations on open records laws, affecting the balance between government transparency and confidentiality in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Open Ethics Records Access
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
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.
Open Ethics Records
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Nily Rozic
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
81
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to repeal subdivision 19 of section 94 of the executive law and subdivision 12 of section 80 of the legislative law, relating to records that are available for public inspection
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 19 of section 94 of the executive law is REPEALED.
§ 2. Subdivision 12 of section 80 of the legislative law is REPEALED.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01242-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to repeal subdivision 19 of section 94 of the executive law and subdivision 12 of section 80 of the legislative law, relating to records that are available for public inspection
Purpose
To require the Joint Commission on Public Ethics and the Legislative Ethics Commission to comply with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and the Open Meetings Law.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill repeals subdivision 19 of section 94 of the Executive Law.
Section 2 of the bill repeals subdivision 12 of section 80 of the Legislative Law.
Section 3 of the bill is the effective date.
Justification
Under existing law, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) and the Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC) are expressly exempted from the requirements of government transparency laws, including the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and the Open Meetings Law.
This bill would subject JCOPE and the LEC to FOIL and the Open Meetings Law, allowing more transparency and access to information about the state's ethics watchdogs. FOIL and the Open Meetings Law contain sufficient protections to keep investigations and investigation-related activities exempt from public disclosure. The existing law is unnecessarily restrictive, and runs counter to the idea of open government.
In a February 2015 report, JCOPE included a specific legislative recommendation to consider whether its current exemption from FOIL and the Open Meetings Law should be modified to increase the transparency of JCOPE's operations, while still protecting the integrity of JCOPE's sensitive compliance and investigative functions.
Legislative history
S.3241 of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Finance A.9504 of 2016 (Rozic): Died in Governmental Operations
Fiscal implications
Minimal.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.