What's happening
This bill allows witnesses to testify before New York legislative committees via videoconferencing if they demonstrate a valid need.
Why it matters
Expands access to legislative hearings. by allowing witnesses who face significant barriers—such as disability, travel costs, or severe weather—to participate remotely, potentially increasing the diversity and inclusivity of testimony.
Gives legislative committees discretion. to decide what constitutes a “reasonable accommodation,” meaning the policy could be applied flexibly to address a variety of needs or exceptional circumstances.
May improve the quality and breadth of information. available to lawmakers by enabling participation from experts, advocates, and affected individuals who otherwise might not be able to attend hearings in person.
Could set a precedent for broader use of technology. in government proceedings, signaling a shift toward more modern, accessible public engagement and potentially encouraging similar measures in other states or public bodies.
Albany, before your first meeting.
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Who cares
Senate and Assembly committees
They could permit witnesses to testify by videoconference after finding that disability, travel costs, severe weather or another justifiable reason prevents in-person testimony.
Witnesses with disabilities
They could request videoconference testimony as a reasonable accommodation, subject to committee approval.
Witnesses facing travel costs or severe weather
They could seek permission to testify remotely by demonstrating to the committee that those barriers prevent them from appearing in person.
Headline styles
Allow Remote Witness Testimony
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1259
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations
AN ACT to amend the legislative law and the public officers law, in relation to witness testimony before legislative committees via videoconferencing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 60 of the legislative law, as amended by chapter 416 of the laws of 1954, is amended to read as follows:
§ 60. Testimony before legislative committees. 1. A legislative committee may require the attendance of witnesses in this state whom the committee may wish to examine, or may issue a commission for the examination of witnesses who are out of the state or unable to attend the committee or excused from attendance, which commission if directed by the house or legislature by which the committee is appointed may be executed during the recess of the legislature. A commission issued as provided by this section shall be in the form used in the courts of record of this state and shall be executed in like manner. Unless otherwise instructed by the committee appointing them the commissioners shall examine privately every witness attending before them and shall not make public the particulars of such examination. No committee of either house or a joint committee of both houses shall have the power to take testimony at a private hearing or at a public hearing unless at least two of its members are present at such hearing.
2. Upon a request for reasonable accommodation by a witness, a legislative committee may grant such witness permission to testify before such legislative committee via videoconferencing. Such request for reasonable accommodation shall not be approved unless such witness has demonstrated, to the satisfaction of such legislative committee, an inability to testify in-person due to disability, cost of travel, severe
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04134-01-5
weather conditions, or another reason deemed justifiable by such legislative committee.
§ 2. Subdivisions (d), (e) and (f) of section 103 of the public officers law, subdivision (d) as added by chapter 43 of the laws of 2010, subdivision (e) as amended by chapter 481 of the laws of 2021 and subdivision (f) as amended by chapter 319 of the laws of 2016, are amended and a new subdivision (h) is added to read as follows:
[(d)] (e) 1. Any meeting of a public body that is open to the public shall be open to being photographed, broadcast, webcast, or otherwise recorded and/or transmitted by audio or video means. As used herein the term "broadcast" shall also include the transmission of signals by cable.
2. A public body may adopt rules, consistent with recommendations from the committee on open government, reasonably governing the location of equipment and personnel used to photograph, broadcast, webcast, or otherwise record a meeting so as to conduct its proceedings in an orderly manner. Such rules shall be conspicuously posted during meetings and written copies shall be provided upon request to those in attendance.
[(e)] (f) Agency records available to the public pursuant to article six of this chapter, as well as any proposed resolution, law, rule, regulation, policy or any amendment thereto, that is scheduled to be the subject of discussion by a public body during an open meeting shall be made available, upon request therefor, to the extent practicable at least twenty-four hours prior to the meeting during which the records will be discussed. Copies of such records may be made available for a reasonable fee, determined in the same manner as provided therefor in article six of this chapter. If the agency in which a public body functions maintains a regularly and routinely updated website and utilizes a high speed internet connection, such records shall be posted on the website to the extent practicable at least twenty-four hours prior to the meeting. An agency may, but shall not be required to, expend additional moneys to implement the provisions of this subdivision.
[(f)] (g) Open meetings of an agency or authority shall be, to the extent practicable and within available funds, broadcast to the public and maintained as records of the agency or authority. If the agency or authority 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 such website in real-time, and posted on such website within and for a reasonable time after the meeting. 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.
(h) In a meeting held by a committee of either house of the state legislature or by a joint committee of both houses of the state legislature, witness testimony may be taken via videoconference, in accordance with section sixty of the legislative law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the legislative law and the public officers law, in relation to witness testimony before legislative committees via video- conferencing
Purpose
This bill will expand citizen participation in legislative hearings from all across the state by allowing committees to accommodate requests to deliver virtual testimony.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: amends Section 60 of the Legislative Law to allow for reason- able accommodations to be granted to enable witnesses to testify via videoconference. Such reasonable accommodations must be approved by the committee and can be granted due to disability, cost of travel, extreme weather, or other justifiable reasons.
Section 2: amends the Public Officers Law to allow committees of the legislature to take witness testimony via videoconference.
Justification
During much of the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislature operated remotely. One of the benefits of a primarily remote legislature was the increased access by members of the public to legislative hearings. While hearings are routinely streamed for the public to watch, the option of partic- ipating remotely was not explored until 2020. In a state as large and diverse as New York, it is vital that the legislature hear a full range of perspectives. This bill helps to ensure that the full range of voices in the state can be heard at legislative hearings by enacting permanent provisions allowing witnesses to testify at hearings remotely. There are significant benefits to remote testimony, including greater accessibil- ity for people with disabilities and people unable to make the trek to Albany for a full day. This common sense reform will help keep the legislature's hearings vital and representative of the whole state long into the future.
Legislative history
2023-2024: S457 (May)
2021-2022: S7332 (May)
Fiscal implications
Minimal.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.