What's happening
This bill creates a grant program to help local governments reduce paper use and implement digital alternatives.
Why it matters
Encourages modernization and cost efficiency. By supporting local governments in transitioning from paper to digital systems, the bill aims to reduce long-term administrative costs and streamline public services, providing a pathway for localities to modernize.
Requires local financial commitment. The 25% local matching funds requirement ensures that municipalities have a stake in the project’s success, potentially leading to more thoughtful and committed implementation of digital solutions.
Limits grant size to broaden access. By capping grants at $10,000 per local government, the program is designed to spread resources across many communities, encouraging widespread adoption rather than concentrating funds in a few places.
Supports broader government efficiency goals. The bill allows these grants to count toward state-recognized government efficiency plans, helping local governments demonstrate and achieve mandated savings, which could impact budget planning and compliance with state fiscal requirements.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Cut Paperwork for Local Governments
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to finance
- Referred to finance
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1207
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. TEDISCO, 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. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 164-e to read as follows:
§ 164-e. 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.
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.
LBD01834-01-5
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 efficiency.
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
04/24/15: 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: S.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
01/09/19: S.359 REFERRED TO FINANCE
01/08/20: S.359 REFERRED TO FINANCE
01/06/21: S.169 REFERRED TO FINANCE
01/05/22: S.169 REFERRED TO FINANCE
01/04/23: S.102 REFERRED TO FINANCE
01/03/24: S.102 REFERRED TO FINANCE
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.