Requires state board of elections to publish on its website for one week a brief statement relating to proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the ballot.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1545
SPONSOR: Millman TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the election law, in relation to
publication of constitutional amendments
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would eliminate the need to publish constitutional amendments
that will appear on the ballot in one newspaper in every county within
one week of the election.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 4-116 of
the election law to change the state board of elections publication
requirement of constitutional amendments from one newspaper publication
in each county the week before the election to publication on the
board's website the entire week before the election.
Section 2 is the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In this internet age, many people are obtaining the information they
seek on the internet. In contrast, newspaper readership is dropping.
This bill would make the publication of the text of a proposed constitu-
tional amendment widely available on the state board of elections
website for a full week prior to the election from anywhere in the state
via the internet. It also would allow the option for anyone accessing
the website to print and disseminate the text of the proposed amendment
at little or no cost. The bill does not change the requirement in subdi-
vision 1 of election law § 4-116 that the secretary of state publish the
proposed amendment in the state register at least once in each of the
three months preceding the election.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2009-2010: A10478
FISCAL IMPLICATION:
This bill would save the state board of elections money.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1545
2011-2012 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2011
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MILLMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to publication of consti-
tutional amendments
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 4-116 of the election law, the section heading as
2 amended by chapter 234 of the laws of 1976, subdivision 1 as amended by
3 chapter 341 of the laws of 1995 and subdivisions 2 and 3 as amended by
4 chapter 60 of the laws of 1993, is amended to read as follows:
5 § 4-116. Constitutional amendments and questions; publication of by
6 state board of elections and secretary of state. 1. The secretary of
7 state shall cause each concurrent resolution of the two houses of the
8 legislature agreeing to a proposed amendment to the constitution that
9 has been referred to the legislature to be chosen at the next general
10 election to be published at least once in each of the three months next
11 preceding such election. Such publication shall include the information
12 that such amendment has been so referred.
13 2. The state board of elections shall publish [once in the week] on
14 its website for one week preceding any election at which proposed
15 constitutional amendments or other propositions or questions are to be
16 submitted to the voters of the state an abstract of such amendment or
17 question, a brief statement of the law or proceedings authorizing such
18 submission, a statement that such submission will be made and the form
19 in which it is to be submitted.
20 [3. Publication required by subdivision two of this section shall be
21 in one newspaper of general circulation in each county.]
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04943-01-1
