New York State Assembly

 
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A00617 Summary:

A00617 Actions:

A00617 Committee Votes:

Committee:GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS   Chair:McDonald      
DATE:05/27/2025AYE/NAY:14/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
McDonald
Aye
Beephan
Aye
Glick
Aye
Simpson
Aye
Kim
Aye
Novakhov
Aye
Bichotte Hermel
Aye
Norber
Aye
Williams
Aye
Raga
Aye
Simone
Aye
Shimsky
Aye
Kassay
Aye
Burroughs
Aye

Committee:RULES   Chair:Glick      
DATE:06/04/2025AYE/NAY:20/8  Action: Favorable         
Heastie
Excused
Barclay
Nay
Pretlow
Aye
Hawley
Nay
Cook
Aye
Blankenbush
Nay
Glick
Aye
Ra
Nay
Dinowitz
Aye
Brabenec
Nay
Colton
Aye
Palmesano
Nay
Magnarelli
Excused
Reilly
Nay
Paulin
Aye
Smith
Excused
Peoples-Stokes
Aye
Jensen
Nay
Benedetto
Aye
Lavine
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Davila
Aye
Hyndman
Aye
Rozic
Aye
Bronson
Aye
Hevesi
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Taylor
Aye
Cruz
Aye
Vanel
Aye

A00617 Floor Votes:

A00617 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A617A
 
SPONSOR: Shimsky

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the legislative law, in relation to the term "reportable
business relationship" as it relates to certain employees of the state
university of New York and the city university of New York
 
 
PURPOSE:
 
This legislation would exclude faculty at SUNY and CUNY from the defi-
nition of covered employee as it relates to a reportable business
relationship.
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
 
Section 1 amends Subdivision (w) of Section 1-C of the legislative law,
as added by section 8 of part A of chapter 399 of the laws of 2011.
Specifically states that the term reportable business relationship shall
not include an individual whose only state employment is through SUNY or
CUNY as a professor, adjunct professor, lecturer, instructor, assistant
professor, associate professor or similar teaching role and is employed
in a similar role at the college or university that does not supervise
other state employees or manage grant-funded projects or research.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:
 
Under New York's lobby laws, disclosure of a business relationship is
required to ensure conflicts of interest and ensure transparency.
However, under this law there are unintended consequences that are
created and not reflective of the goals of this important law. This
legislation would exempt an individual whose only state employment is as
a SUNY or CUNY professor who then is hired to teach at an independent
college. The intent of the current law is to ensure policy making indi-
viduals involved in State government must be transparent with their
business relationships. However, a SUNY or CUNY professor is not in a
policy making position. Having a SUNY or CUNY professor covered by this
law results in an unnecessary cost and acts as a roadblock and disincen-
tive to the hiring of these well qualified individuals.
 
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
2023-2024: S3506a/A6719a; Referred to Governmental Operations
 
2021-2022: S. 202/A. 5321; Veto   38
 
2019-2020: S. 6325/A. 8267; Referred to Governmental Operations
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
None
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

A00617 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         617--A
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                       (Prefiled)
 
                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. SHIMSKY, REYES, SCHIAVONI, LEVENBERG, GLICK --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the legislative law, in relation to the term "reportable
          business relationship" as it relates to certain employees of the state
          university of New York and the city university of New York
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Subdivision (w) of section 1-c of the legislative law, as
     2  added by section 8 of part A of chapter 399 of  the  laws  of  2011,  is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    (w) The term "reportable business relationship" shall mean a relation-
     5  ship  in  which  compensation  is paid by a lobbyist or by a client of a
     6  lobbyist, in exchange for any goods, services or anything of value,  the
     7  total  value  of which is in excess of one thousand dollars annually, to
     8  be performed or provided by or intended to be performed or  provided  by
     9  (i)  any  statewide  elected  official,  state  officer, state employee,
    10  member of the legislature or legislative employee, or (ii) any entity in
    11  which the lobbyist or the client of a lobbyist knows or  has  reason  to
    12  know  the  statewide  elected  official,  state officer, state employee,
    13  member of the legislature or legislative employee is a proprietor, part-
    14  ner, director, officer or manager, or owns or controls  ten  percent  or
    15  more of the stock of such entity (or one percent in the case of a corpo-
    16  ration  whose  stock  is  regularly  traded on an established securities
    17  exchange). Provided,  however,  that  such  term  shall  not  include  a
    18  relationship  between an individual and a college or university, as such
    19  terms are defined in section two of the education law, when  such  indi-
    20  vidual  is  employed by such college or university as a teaching profes-
    21  sor, adjunct professor, lecturer, instructor, assistant professor, asso-
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00242-05-5
        A. 617--A                           2
 
     1  ciate professor, or similar teaching role, when such  individual's  only
     2  state employment is through the state university of New York or the city
     3  university  of  New  York  as  a  teaching professor, adjunct professor,
     4  lecturer, instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or simi-
     5  lar  teaching  role that does not include the supervision of other state
     6  employees or the management of grant-funded projects or research.
     7    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.