Assemblyman Buchwald’s First Bill Passes in State Assembly

Good government legislation is part of Sunshine Week legislative package

March 12, 2013

Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-Westchester) announced that the New York State Assembly has passed his first piece of legislation. This bill (A.5306) will limit the time in which state agencies can appeal court decisions mandating documents be released under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).

“The first bill I’ve passed in the Assembly continues my long-standing pledge to advocate for open government,” Assemblyman Buchwald said. “The FOIL process should be as simple and transparent as possible. Government works for the people, and our families deserve to know information deemed public by the courts.”

This bill was part of a legislative package that focuses on increasing openness, accountability and transparency in state government. Sunshine Week is a national, bipartisan effort to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information. This is the eighth annual Sunshine Week in the Assembly, which runs from March 10-16.

“Too often, New Yorkers are denied access to public information that we have a right to know. This legislation will go a long way toward fixing that,” Assemblyman Buchwald said. “It’s our obligation as legislators to open up government so that Westchester families can have a better understanding of how their tax dollars are being spent.”

Other bills in the Assembly’s legislative package would:

• bar government agencies from inappropriately using the copyright law to deny access to a public record (A.1700);
• make the records involved in a judicial proceeding, including records that are held by law enforcement agencies or are related to ongoing litigation available to the public and media outlets if the presiding judge deems there is no risk that the disclosure would disrupt the investigation or the proceedings (A.5170);
• clarify that the name of a retiree, but not a beneficiary, in the public employees’ retirement system is subject to disclosure under FOIL (A.5171); and
• establish an inventory and audit process, administered by the commissioner of the Office for General Services, to document every parcel of real property that has been sold by the state and that is subject to a reverter clause (A.5172).

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