What's happening
This bill requires all public bodies in New York to post video recordings of open meetings online within five business days and keep them for at least five years.
Why it matters
Expands transparency requirements. The bill broadens the law to include all “public bodies,” not just certain state agencies and authorities, meaning local governments, school boards, and other public entities must also comply, increasing government transparency at every level.
Sets a clear timeline for public access. By requiring videos to be posted online within five business days, the law ensures timely public access to meeting content, helping citizens stay informed and engaged about decisions that may affect their communities.
Establishes a long-term public record. Mandating that recordings be kept online for at least five years creates a searchable archive, allowing residents, journalists, and watchdog groups to review government actions long after meetings occur, which supports accountability and historical research.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Post Meeting Videos Online
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred to governmental operations
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
578
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring public bodies to post video recordings of open meetings
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (f) of section 103 of the public officers law, as amended by chapter 319 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
(f) Open meetings of [an agency or authority] a public body shall be, to the extent practicable and within available funds, broadcast to the public and maintained as records of the [agency or authority] public body. If the [agency or authority] public body maintains a website and utilizes a high speed internet connection, such open meeting shall be, to the extent practicable and within available funds, streamed on or available through such website in real-time, and video recording of such open meeting shall be posted on such website within five business days of the meeting and for a reasonable time after the meeting and such recordings shall be maintained for a period of not less than five years. [For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "agency" shall mean only a state department, board, bureau, division, council or office and any public corporation the majority of whose members are appointed by the governor. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "authority" shall mean a public authority or public benefit corporation created by or existing under any state law, at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor (including any subsidiaries of such public authority or public benefit corporation), other than an interstate or international authority or public benefit corporation.]
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02376-01-5
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.