Regulate Government Consultants

Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new article 1-B to read as follows:

ARTICLE 1-B

CONSULTING ACT Section 1-aa. Short title.

1-bb. Definitions.

1-cc. Powers of the commission.

1-dd. Statement of registration.

1-ee. Monthly registration docket.

1-ff. Termination of retainer, employment or designation.

1-gg. Bi-monthly reports.

1-hh. Contingent retainer.

1-ii. Reports involving disbursement of public monies.

1-jj. Prohibition of gifts.

1-kk. Penalties.

1-ll. Enforcement.

1-mm. Record of appearances.

1-nn. Publication of statement on consultant disclosure regu-

lations.

1-oo. Public access to records.

1-pp. Applicability of certain laws.

1-qq. Separability clause.

§ 1-aa. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as the "consulting act".

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD10600-01-9

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§ 1-bb. Definitions. As used in this article unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) The term "client" shall mean every person or organization who retains, employs or designates any person or organization to carry on consulting activities on behalf of such client.

(b) The term "organization" shall mean any corporation, company, foundation, association, college as defined by section two of the education law, labor organization, firm, partnership, society, joint stock company, state agency or public corporation.

(c) The term "state agency" shall mean any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, committee or officer of the state, whether permanent or temporary, or a public benefit corporation or public authority at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor, authorized by law to make rules or to make final decisions in adjudicatory proceedings but shall not include the judicial branch or agencies created by interstate compact or international agreement.

(d) The term "commission" shall mean the joint commission on public ethics created by section ninety-four of the executive law.

(e) The term "expense" or "expenses" shall mean any expenditures incurred by or reimbursed to the consultant for consulting but shall not include contributions reportable pursuant to article fourteen of the election law.

(f) The term "compensation" shall mean any salary, fee, gift, payment, benefit, loan, advance or any other thing of value paid, owed, given or promised to the consultant by the client for consulting but shall not include contributions reportable pursuant to article fourteen of the election law.

(g) The term "public corporation" shall mean a municipal corporation, a district corporation, or a public benefit corporation as defined in section sixty-six of the general construction law.

(h) The term "gift" shall mean anything of more than nominal value given to a public official in any form including, but not limited to money, service, loan, travel, lodging, meals, refreshments, entertainment, discount, forbearance, or promise, having a monetary value. The following are excluded from the definition of a gift:

(i) complimentary attendance, including food and beverage, at bona fide charitable or political events;

(ii) complimentary attendance, food and beverage offered by the sponsor of a widely attended event. The term "widely attended event" shall mean an event: (A) which at least twenty-five individuals other than members, officers, or employees from the governmental entity in which the public official serves attend or were, in good faith, invited to attend, and (B) which is related to the attendee's duties or responsibilities or which allows the public official to perform a ceremonial function appropriate to his or her position. For the purposes of this exclusion, a public official's duties or responsibilities shall include but not be limited to either (1) attending an event or a meeting at which a speaker or attendee addresses an issue of public interest or concern as a significant activity at such event or meeting; or (2) for elected public officials, or their staff attending with or on behalf of such elected officials, attending an event or a meeting at which more than one-half of the attendees, or persons invited in good faith to attend, are residents of the county, district or jurisdiction from which the elected public official was elected;

(iii) awards, plaques, and other ceremonial items which are publicly presented, or intended to be publicly presented, in recognition of

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public service, provided that the item or items are of the type customarily bestowed at such or similar ceremonies and are otherwise reasonable under the circumstances, and further provided that the functionality of such items shall not determine whether such items are permitted under this paragraph;

(iv) an honorary degree bestowed upon a public official by a public or private college or university;

(v) promotional items having no substantial resale value such as pens, mugs, calendars, hats, and t-shirts which bear an organization's name, logo, or message in a manner which promotes the organization's cause;

(vi) goods and services, or discounts for goods and services, offered to the general public or a segment of the general public defined on a basis other than status as a public official and offered on the same terms and conditions as the goods or services are offered to the general public or segment thereof;

(vii) gifts from a family member, member of the same household, or person with a personal relationship with the public official, including invitations to attend personal or family social events, when the circumstances establish that it is the family, household, or personal relationship that is the primary motivating factor; in determining motivation, the following factors shall be among those considered: (A) the history and nature of the relationship between the donor and the recipient, including whether or not items have previously been exchanged; (B) whether the item was purchased by the donor; and (C) whether or not the donor at the same time gave similar items to other public officials; the transfer shall not be considered to be motivated by a family, household, or personal relationship if the donor seeks to charge or deduct the value of such item as a business expense or seeks reimbursement from a client;

(viii) contributions reportable under article fourteen of the election law, including contributions made in violation of that article of the election law;

(ix) travel reimbursement or payment for transportation, meals and accommodations for an attendee, panelist or speaker at an informational event or informational meeting when such reimbursement or payment is made by a governmental entity or by an in-state accredited public or private institution of higher education that hosts the event on its campus, provided, however, that the public official may only accept lodging from an institution of higher education: (A) at a location on or within close proximity to the host campus; and (B) for the night preceding and the nights of the days on which the attendee, panelist or speaker actually attends the event or meeting;

(x) provision of local transportation to inspect or tour facilities, operations or property located in New York state, provided, however, that such inspection or tour is related to the individual's official duties or responsibilities and that payment or reimbursement for expenses for lodging or travel expenses to and from the locality where such facilities, operations or property are located shall be considered to be gifts unless otherwise permitted under this subdivision;

(xi) meals or refreshments when participating in a professional or educational program and the meals or refreshments are provided to all participants; and

(xii) food or beverage valued at fifteen dollars or less.

(i) The term "municipality" shall mean any jurisdictional subdivision of the state, including but not limited to counties, cities, towns, villages, improvement districts and special districts, with a population

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of more than five thousand, and industrial development agencies in jurisdictional subdivisions with a population of more than five thousand; and public authorities, and public corporations.

(j) The term "public official" shall mean:

(i) the governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller or attorney general;

(ii) members of the state legislature;

(iii) state officers and employees including:

(A) heads of state departments and their deputies and assistants other than members of the board of regents of the university of the state of New York who receive no compensation or are compensated on a per diem basis,

(B) officers and employees of statewide elected officials,

(C) officers and employees of state departments, boards, bureaus, divisions, commissions, councils or other state agencies,

(D) members or directors of public authorities, other than multi-state authorities, public benefit corporations and commissions at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor, and employees of such authorities, corporations and commissions;

(iv) officers and employees of the legislature; and

(v) municipal officers and employees including an officer or employee of a municipality, whether paid or unpaid, including members of any administrative board, commission or other agency thereof and in the case of a county, shall be deemed to also include any officer or employee paid from county funds. No person shall be deemed to be a municipal officer or employee solely by reason of being a volunteer firefighter or civil defense volunteer, except a fire chief or assistant fire chief.

(k) The term "restricted period" shall mean the period of time commencing with the earliest written notice, advertisement or solicitation of a request for proposal, invitation for bids, or solicitation of proposals, or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract with a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, or a municipal agency, as that term is defined by paragraph (ii) of subdivision (q) of this section, and ending with the final contract award and approval by the state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, or a municipal agency, as that term is defined by paragraph (ii) of subdivision (q) of this section, and, where applicable, the state comptroller.

(l) The term "revenue contract" shall mean any written agreement between a state or municipal agency or a local legislative body and an offerer whereby the state or municipal agency or local legislative body gives or grants a concession or a franchise.

(m) The term "article of procurement" shall mean a commodity, service, technology, public work, construction, revenue contract, the purchase, sale or lease of real property or an acquisition or granting of other interest in real property, that is the subject of a governmental procurement.

(n) The term "governmental procurement" shall mean: (i) the public announcement, public notice, or public communication to any potential vendor of a determination of need for a procurement, which shall include, but not be limited to, the public notification of the specifications, bid documents, request for proposals, or evaluation criteria for a procurement contract, (ii) solicitation for a procurement contract, (iii) evaluation of a procurement contract, (iv) award, approval, denial or disapproval of a procurement contract, or (v)

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approval or denial of an assignment, amendment (other than amendments that are authorized and payable under the terms of the procurement contract as it was finally awarded or approved by the comptroller, as applicable), renewal or extension of a procurement contract, or any other material change in the procurement contract resulting in a financial benefit to the offerer.

(o) The term "offerer" shall mean the individual or entity, or any employee, agent or consultant of such individual or entity, that contacts a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body about a governmental procurement provided, however, that a governmental agency or its employees that communicate with the procuring agency regarding a governmental procurement in the exercise of its oversight duties shall not be considered an offerer.