What's happening
This bill requires state and local public authority boards to prioritize gender balance by giving preference to women candidates for appointments.
Why it matters
Targets historical gender disparities. by explicitly acknowledging and aiming to reverse discrimination against women in appointments to public authority boards, which could shape more equitable governance over time.
Implements a dynamic preference system. the lower the current percentage of women on a board, the stronger the preference for appointing women, but this preference is not absolute (“not dispositive”), meaning qualifications and other considerations still play a role.
Mandates inter-agency coordination. for boards with multiple appointing authorities, requiring them to consult each other to ensure gender balance goals are met, which may lead to more deliberate and transparent selection processes.
Increases accountability and transparency. by requiring annual public reporting on board composition by gender and appointment statistics, providing data for oversight and public scrutiny.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Promote Women on Public Boards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 25
24 Co-sponsors
- Jeffrion Aubry
- Michael Blake
- Carmen De La Rosa
- Anthony D'Urso
- Sandy Galef
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- Catherine Nolan
- Rebecca Seawright
- Harvey Epstein
- Robert J. Rodriguez
- Al Taylor
- Catalina Cruz
- Jo Anne Simon
- Judy Griffin
- Victor M. Pichardo
- Felix Ortiz
- Inez E. Dickens
- Carmen E. Arroyo
- Vivian Cook
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Steven Otis
- Karines Reyes
- Monica P. Wallace
History
- Referred to rules
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Amended on third reading 587b
- Ordered to third reading cal.27
- Advanced to third reading cal.218
- Reported
- Print number 587a
- Amend (t) and recommit to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
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.
Require Gender Balance on Boards
In Senate Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Alessandra Biaggi
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
587--B Cal. No. 27
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC, AUBRY, BLAKE, DE LA ROSA, D'URSO, GALEF, JAFFEE, JEAN-PIERRE, NOLAN, SEAWRIGHT, EPSTEIN, RODRIGUEZ, TAYLOR, CRUZ, SIMON, GRIFFIN, PICHARDO, ORTIZ, DICKENS, ARROYO, COOK, FERNAN- DEZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to gender balance in state and local public authorities; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 2829 to read as follows:
§ 2829. Program promoting women to state and local authority boards. 1. The legislature finds that there is a need to promote women for recommendation and appointment to state and local authority boards in an effort to reverse a long history of discrimination against women on boards of public authorities. The program proposed by this section would provide for the use of gender as a factor when making recommendations and appointments to state and local authority boards. This section serves to achieve the benefits that come with the important governmental objective of attaining gender diversity on state and local authority boards.
2. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) "Gender balance" means providing women candidates with a preference when appointing individuals to boards;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01324-05-9
A. 587--B 2
(b) "Appointing power" means an individual or government or legislative body charged with the responsibility to recommend for appointment or to appoint or reappoint a person or persons to the board of a state or local authority.
(c) "Board" means the governing board or governing body or other such governing entity of local and state authorities.
(d) "Preference" means the act of favoring one person over another that is inversely proportional, provided however, such favoring shall not be dispositive.
(e) "Inversely proportional" means the greater the percentage of women on the board the lower the weight of the preference and the lower the percentage of women on the board the greater the weight of the preference.
3. (a) All appointive state and local authorities heretofore or hereafter established by law or resolution shall have recommendations for appointments, or reappointments that are gender balanced as provided by this section.
(b) Persons shall be recommended for appointment, appointed or reappointed to any state or local authority only if that recommendation, appointment or reappointment is gender balanced as provided by this section.
4. An appointing power shall make recommendations, appointments and reappointments to state and local authorities created prior to, on or after August first, two thousand twenty, in a manner which will ensure a gender balanced appointment or reappointment for each public authority.
5. The appointing power shall undertake all efforts necessary to obtain lists of names of qualified candidates to be recommended for appointment to state and local authorities, in furtherance of the advancement of the policy of this section to achieve gender balanced appointments and reappointments to state and local authority boards pursuant to subdivisions three and four of this section.
6. Multiple appointing powers charged with the recommendation, appointment or reappointment of individuals to the same state or local public authority shall consult each other in order to comply with the requirements of this section.
7. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit an individual from completing a term for which the person was appointed, prior to the effective date of this section.
8. Each state and local authority shall include the number of appointed or reappointed board members in the last year, the number of women board members appointed or reappointed in the last year, the current number of board members on the board and the gender of such board members in the annual report required pursuant to section twentyeight hundred of this article.
§ 2. This act shall take effect August 1, 2020 and shall expire and be deemed repealed on and after August 1, 2030.
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.