What's happening
This bill creates a grant program to help local governments reduce paper use and adopt digital alternatives, with competitive awards and matching funds required.
Why it matters
Encourages modernization and efficiency. By requiring local governments to adopt digital alternatives to paper, the bill pushes for modernization that could streamline government operations, improve accessibility, and reduce administrative burdens in the long run.
Fosters local investment and accountability. The matching funds requirement (25% local match) ensures that local governments have a financial stake in the projects, which may increase the likelihood of thoughtful implementation and ongoing commitment to reducing paper.
Connects to broader cost-saving goals. Grants from this program can be used by local governments as evidence of cost savings and operational efficiencies when submitting state-mandated efficiency plans, potentially helping municipalities meet requirements and access further fiscal incentives.
Limits impact to available funding. The $10,000 per government cap and competitive process mean only selected projects will receive funding, potentially leading to innovative pilot efforts but also limiting the scale of immediate impact.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Cut Paperwork for Local Governments
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
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.
Cut Paperwork for Local Governments
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Sandy Galef
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
359
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sens. TEDISCO, BOYLE, SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to grants to assist local governments with reducing paper
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Article 7 of the executive law is amended by adding a new section 171 to read as follows:
§ 171. Grants to local governments for the reduction of paper use. 1. Within the annual amounts appropriated therefor, the secretary of state may award grants on a competitive basis to local governments in order to reduce paper usage and to implement digital alternatives to paper. The secretary of state shall by regulation establish criteria for such competitive grants, which shall at a minimum:
(a) provide that the maximum grant amount shall not exceed ten thousand dollars per local government;
(b) require local matching funds equal to twenty-five percent of the total amount of such grant; and
(c) establish an application, evaluation, and award process for such grant program, which shall be competitive and publicly available.
2. Grants awarded to local governments pursuant to this section may be included in calculations to demonstrate three year cost savings and efficiencies for government efficiency plans submitted to the director of the budget pursuant to subdivisions three and four of section three-d of the general municipal law.
3. For the purposes of this section, the term "local government" shall have the same meaning as in section three-c of the general municipal law.
§ 2. 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.
LBD03896-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to grants to assist local governments with reducing paper
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill provides incentives via grant rewards to reduce paperwork at the municipal and local levels of government and implement digital alternatives.
Summary of specific provisions
Article 7 of the executive law is amended by adding a new section 171 to read as follows:
§ 171. Grants to local governments for the reduction of paper use. 1. Within the annual amounts appropriated therefor, the secretary of state may award grants on a competitive basis to local governments in order to reduce paper usage and to implement digital alternatives to paper. The secretary of state shall by regulation establish criteria for such competitive grants.
Subsections 1 (a) - (c) establish minimal requirements related to awarded funds, matching funds and process.
Subsection 2 relates to calculations demonstrating cost savings and efficiaency.
Justification
For years in the New York State Legislature, thousands of bills were introduced with every single measure getting printed multiple times prompting a referendum on the New York State election ballot in the year 2014.
The elimination of excessive bill printing at all levels of government would save money and provide greater protections to our environment.
While the voters of our state overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2 in November of 2014 for the State Legislature, we can also do our part to extend those very same benefits to our municipalities and towns. The Department of State, through its Local Government Assistance Program (NYSDOS Division of Local Government Services), provides assistance and awards grants to local governments and school districts for the develop- ment of projects designed to achieve savings at the municipal level. A movement to a digital model as an alternative to excessive bill-printing at the local levels of government certainly accomplishes this goal.
Prior legislative history
04/24/15: S.4950 REFERRED TO FINANCE 01/06/16: S.4950 REFERRED TO FINANCE 01/18/17: S.2883 REFERRED TO FINANCE 05/09/17: S.2883 1ST REPORT CAL.888 05/10/17: S.2883 2ND REPORT CAL. 05/15/17: S.2883 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 06/05/17: S.2883 PASSED SENATE 06/05/17: S.2883 DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY 06/05/17: S.2883 referred to governmental operations 06/15/17: S.2883 RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY 06/15/17: S.2883 returned to senate 06/15/17: 5.2883 VOTE RECONSIDERED - RESTORED TO THIRD READING 06/15/17: S.2883 AMENDED ON THIRD READING (T) 2883A 06/19/17: S.2883A REPASSED SENATE 06/19/17: S.2883A RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY 06/19/17: S.2883A referred to ways and means 01/03/18: S.2883A died in assembly 01/03/18: S.2883A returned to senate 01/03/18: S.2883A REFERRED TO FINANCE 05/08/18: S.2883A 1ST REPORT CAL.1097 05/09/18: S.2883A 2ND REPORT CAL. 05/14/18: S.2883A ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 06/20/18: S.2883A PASSED SENATE 06/20/18: S.2883A DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY 06/21/18: S.2883A referred to ways and means
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.