Prohibits a statewide elected official, state officer or employee, member of the legislature or legislative employee to use state aircraft for political purposes; provides a violation of such restriction constitutes a class A misdemeanor.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6178
SPONSOR: DiPietro TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to political use of
state aircraft by certain state officers and employees
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To ban the use of state aircraft for
political purposes
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section one of the bill prohibits elected
officials, state officers and employees from using state-owned aircraft
for political purposes
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
Click here to enter text.
JUSTIFICATION:
In order to respond to recent concerns about the appropriate use of
state aircraft, this bill is being introduced to provide clear guidance
to public officials as to the use of such aircraft. Under this bill,
state-owned aircraft may be used by public officials only in connection
with their official duties.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.05369 2019-2020
A.4791 of 2017-18
A.3649 of 2015-16
A.6475 of 2013-14
A.5977 of 2011-12
A6613 of 2009-10
A9662 of 2007-08
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
This legislation should result in a savings to state taxpayers
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6178
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DiPIETRO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to political use of
state aircraft by certain state officers and employees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 18 of section 73 of the public officers law, as
2 amended by section 5 of part CC of chapter 56 of the laws of 2015, is
3 renumbered subdivision 19 and amended and a new subdivision 18 is added
4 to read as follows:
5 18. No statewide elected official, state officer or employee, member
6 of the legislature or legislative employee may use or direct the use of
7 state aircraft for political purposes.
8 19. In addition to any penalty contained in any other provision of
9 law, any person who knowingly and intentionally violates the provisions
10 of subdivisions two through five, seven, seven-a, eight, twelve or four-
11 teen through [seventeen] eighteen of this section shall be subject to a
12 civil penalty in an amount not to exceed forty thousand dollars and the
13 value of any gift, compensation [or], benefit [received] or use of state
14 aircraft in connection with such violation. Assessment of a civil penal-
15 ty hereunder shall be made by the state oversight body with jurisdiction
16 over such person. A state oversight body acting pursuant to its juris-
17 diction, may, in lieu of a civil penalty, with respect to a violation of
18 subdivisions two through five, seven [or], eight or eighteen of this
19 section, refer a violation of any such subdivision to the appropriate
20 prosecutor and upon such conviction such violation shall be punishable
21 as a class A misdemeanor.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07569-01-3
