What's happening
This bill requires the creation and online publication of an annual, easy-to-understand citizens' guide to the New York State budget.
Why it matters
Enhances public transparency. By mandating an annual, easy-to-read citizens' guide to the budget, the bill empowers New Yorkers to better understand how state money is collected and spent, which can increase trust in government.
Improves accessibility of budget information. The guide must include each department’s purpose, populations served, and, where possible, performance metrics in graphic format, making complex financial data more understandable and relevant to everyday residents.
Encourages accountability and informed public debate. By providing timely, standardized information online (within 60 days of the enacted budget report), the bill enables citizens, journalists, and watchdog groups to scrutinize government spending and outcomes more effectively.
Minimizes costs and environmental impact. By requiring only an online or electronic version, the bill avoids unnecessary printing expenses and paper use, ensuring the guide is widely available without added fiscal or environmental burden.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Publish Plain Budget Guide
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.
Create Plain Budget Guide
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Al Taylor
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2108
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 22, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to the budget
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 22 of the state finance law is amended by adding a new subdivision 17 to read as follows:
17. Citizens' guide to the state budget. For the fiscal year beginning in two thousand nineteen, the director of the budget's office, with input from the secretary of state's office on the language, form and presentation used, shall produce an annual citizens' guide to the state budget revenue and expenditures. The citizens' guide shall be in a form and substance that is easily readable and understandable by the general public. The citizens' guide shall include data on each department's purpose and populations served; and where available, may include performance measures over time, depicted in a graphic format. The citizens' guide shall be produced and released on the secretary of state's website no later than sixty days after the public release of the annual division of budget's "enacted budget report". The citizen's guide need only be prepared in an online or electronic format, and neither the director of the budget's office or the secretary of state's office shall be required to produce or distribute a paper or hard copy of the guide.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05364-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the state finance law, in relation to the budget
Purpose
To provide the public an easily readable and understandable Citizens' Guide to the State Budget.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends Section 22 of the state finance law by adding a new subdivision 17 creating the Citizens' Guide to the State Budget. For the fiscal year beginning in 2017, the Director of the Budget's office, with input from the Secretary of State's office, shall produce an annual Citizens' Guide to the State Budget, Revenue and Expenditures. The guide shall be in a form and substance that is easily readable and understand- able by the general public. It shall include data on each department's purpose and populations served, and where available may include perform- ance measures over time, depicted in a graphic format. The guide shall be produced and released on the Secretary of State's website no later than 60 days after the public release of the annual Division of the Budget's Enacted Budget Report. The Citizens' Guide need only be prepared dn an online or electronic format; no hard copy will be required.
Section 2 provides this act shall take effect immediately.
Existing law
New Law
Justification
The state's budget, revenue and expenditures should be readily avail- able, in one document, to the public in a format that is easy to read and understand.
Increasing transparency will reduce the spread of misinformation, encourage civic participation and promote public trust in the political process. It would create accountability in the sense that citizens would know the executive and legislature would not be able to "hide" informa- tion pertaining to how their money was spent in hard to navigate docu- ments. To that end, this is a simple but important ethics reform meas- ure.
Legislative history
03/28/16 - Referred to Finance
Fiscal implications
Undetermined
Local fiscal implications
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.