What's happening
This bill requires the New York State Design and Construction Corporation to hold public meetings and publish meeting agendas and minutes online.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. by mandating the Design and Construction Corporation conduct all business in public meetings, making it harder for significant decisions to be made behind closed doors.
Strengthens public oversight. by requiring meeting agendas to be published online five days in advance, giving stakeholders and the public a chance to know what will be discussed and prepare input or questions.
Ensures timely public access to decisions and actions. by obligating the corporation to publish meeting minutes online within five days, allowing the public to track outcomes and hold the corporation accountable.
Aligns the corporation with broader open government laws. by subjecting it to New York’s Freedom of Information Law and Open Meetings Law, creating consistency with transparency standards applied to other state entities.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Make Meetings Public
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 14
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred 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.
Make Meetings Public
In Assembly Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Thomas Abinanti
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3611
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the New York state design and construction corporation to meet and conduct all business at a public meeting and making the minutes of such meetings available to the public
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authorities law, as amended by section 1 of part I of chapter 73 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
4. General powers and duties of the corporation. (a) The corporation shall have the power to:
(i) Sue and be sued;
(ii) Have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;
(iii) Make and alter by-laws for its organization and internal management and make rules and regulations governing same;
(iv) Assign such officers and employees from the officers and employees of the authority, as it may require for the performance of its duties and, for those officers and employees who are not represented by a recognized employee organization, fix and determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation;
(v) Retain or employ counsel, auditors, private financial consultants, professional engineers or other technical consultants and other services on a contract basis or otherwise, for the rendering of professional, business or technical services and advice;
(vi) Make and execute contracts and all other instruments necessary or convenient for the exercise of its powers and functions under this section;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05092-01-9
S. 3611 2
(vii) Engage the services of private consultants on a contract basis for rendering professional and technical assistance advice relating to covered projects;
(viii) Procure insurance against any loss in connection with its activities, properties and other assets, in such amount and from such insurance as it deems desirable; and
(ix) Invest any funds of the corporation, or any other monies under its custody and control not required for immediate use or disbursement, at the discretion of the corporation, in obligations of the state or the United States government or obligations the principal and interest of which are obligations in which the comptroller of the state is authorized to invest pursuant to section ninety-eight of the state finance law.
(b) The corporation shall be required to:
(i) Meet and conduct all business at a public meeting;
(ii) Be subject to the provisions of articles six and seven of this chapter;
(iii) Consider at its meetings only items set forth on its agenda which shall be published five days in advance of a meeting on a website accessible by the public; and
(iv) Record minutes of all business conducted at said meetings which minutes shall be published within five days after the meeting on a website accessible to the public.
(c) The corporation may do any and all things necessary to carry out and exercise the powers given and granted by this section.
[(c)] (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, to the contrary, all state entities and their officers shall cooperate with the corporation in good faith and may implement the recommendations of the corporation.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the amendments to subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authorities law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
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 authorities law, in relation to requiring the New York state design and construction corpo- ration to meet and conduct all business at a public meeting and making the minutes of such meetings available to the public
Purpose
To increase transparency of the Design and Construction Corporation established to provide management, monitoring and oversight on large public works projects undertaken by state agencies, departments and authorities and ensure that the members of the corporation do not have conflicts of interest related to such duties.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends public authorities law § 1678-a to define the design and construction corporation as an agency for purposes of articles six and six-a of the public officers law and as a public body for purposes of article seven of the public officers law.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Justification
The recently established New York State Design and Construction Corpo- ration - a subsidiary corporation of the Dormitory Authority - was established to provide management expertise, monitoring and oversight of public works projects in excess of $50 million dollars undertaken by state agencies, state departments and state authorities.
This bill clarifies that as a subsidiary of the Dormitory Authority, the New York State Design and Construction Corporation is subject to the Freedom of Information Law, the Personal Privacy Protection Law, and the Open Meetings Law.
Legislative history
2017-18: A4083 referred to corporations, authorities and commissions; 2016: A.10619 referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the amendments to subdivision 4 of section 1678-a of the public authorities law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.