STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1506
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 12, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
ment Operations
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring enti-
ties that submit records to state agencies that are excepted from
disclosure under the freedom of information law to periodically re-ap-
ply for the exception
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 89 of the public officers law, as
2 added by chapter 890 of the laws of 1981, paragraph (a) as amended by
3 chapter 403 of the laws of 2003 and paragraph (d) as amended by chapter
4 707 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
5 5. (a) (1) A person acting pursuant to law or regulation who, subse-
6 quent to the effective date of this subdivision, submits any information
7 to any state agency may, at the time of submission, request that the
8 agency except such information from disclosure under paragraph (d) of
9 subdivision two of section eighty-seven of this article. Where the
10 request itself contains information which if disclosed would defeat the
11 purpose for which the exception is sought, such information shall also
12 be excepted from disclosure.
13 (1-a) A person or entity who submits or otherwise makes available any
14 records to any agency, may, at any time, identify those records or
15 portions thereof that may contain critical infrastructure information,
16 and request that the agency that maintains such records except such
17 information from disclosure under subdivision two of section eighty-sev-
18 en of this article. Where the request itself contains information which
19 if disclosed would defeat the purpose for which the exception is sought,
20 such information shall also be excepted from disclosure.
21 (2) (i) The request for an exception shall be in writing, shall
22 specifically identify which portions of the record are the subject of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05698-01-1
S. 1506 2
1 the request for exception and state the reasons why the information
2 should be excepted, for a defined period of time, from disclosure. The
3 submitter may also provide a date by which such exception shall expire,
4 provided that such date shall not exceed three years from the time of
5 the agency's receipt of the request for an exception.
6 (ii) Not less than sixty days prior to the expiration of the then
7 current term of the exception request, the submitter may apply to the
8 agency for a three-year extension of its exception request. Upon timely
9 receipt of a request for an extension of an exception request, an agency
10 shall review the application and either grant or deny the extension
11 request. A denial of an extension request may be appealed by the submit-
12 ter pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision. If the submitter
13 fails to apply for an extension, the exception shall be considered to
14 have expired.
15 (3) Information submitted subsequent to the effective date of the
16 chapter of the laws of two thousand twenty-one that amended this subdi-
17 vision and as provided in subparagraphs one and one-a of this paragraph
18 shall be excepted from disclosure for a defined period of time and be
19 maintained apart by the agency from all other records until the expira-
20 tion of the submitter's exception request or fifteen days after the
21 entitlement to such exception has been finally determined or such
22 further time as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
23 (b) [On] During the effective period of an exception request under
24 this subdivision, on the initiative of the agency at any time, or upon
25 the request of any person for a record excepted from disclosure pursuant
26 to this subdivision, the agency shall:
27 (1) inform the person who requested the exception of the agency's
28 intention to determine whether such exception should be granted or
29 continued;
30 (2) permit the person who requested the exception, within ten business
31 days of receipt of notification from the agency, to submit a written
32 statement of the necessity for the granting or continuation of such
33 exception;
34 (3) within seven business days of receipt of such written statement,
35 or within seven business days of the expiration of the period prescribed
36 for submission of such statement, issue a written determination grant-
37 ing, continuing or terminating such exception and stating the reasons
38 therefor; copies of such determination shall be served upon the person,
39 if any, requesting the record, the person who requested the exception,
40 and the committee on [public access to records] open government.
41 (c) A denial of an exception from disclosure under paragraph (b) of
42 this subdivision may be appealed by the person submitting the informa-
43 tion and a denial of access to the record may be appealed by the person
44 requesting the record in accordance with this subdivision:
45 (1) Within seven business days of receipt of written notice denying
46 the request, the person may file a written appeal from the determination
47 of the agency with the head of the agency, the chief executive officer
48 or governing body or their designated representatives.
49 (2) The appeal shall be determined within ten business days of the
50 receipt of the appeal. Written notice of the determination shall be
51 served upon the person, if any, requesting the record, the person who
52 requested the exception and the committee on [public access to records]
53 open government. The notice shall contain a statement of the reasons
54 for the determination.
55 (d) (i) A proceeding to review an adverse determination pursuant to
56 paragraph (c) of this subdivision may be commenced pursuant to article
S. 1506 3
1 seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules. Such proceeding, when
2 brought by a person seeking an exception from disclosure pursuant to
3 this subdivision, must be commenced within fifteen days of the service
4 of the written notice containing the adverse determination provided for
5 in subparagraph two of paragraph (c) of this subdivision. The proceeding
6 shall be given preference and shall be brought on for argument on such
7 terms and conditions as the presiding justice may direct, not to exceed
8 forty-five days.
9 (ii) Appeal to the appellate division of the supreme court must be
10 made in accordance with subdivision (a) of section fifty-five hundred
11 thirteen of the civil practice law and rules.
12 (iii) An appeal taken from an order of the court requiring disclosure:
13 (A) shall be given preference; and
14 (B) shall be brought on for argument on such terms and conditions as
15 the presiding justice may direct, upon application by any party to the
16 proceeding; and
17 (C) shall be deemed abandoned when the party requesting an exclusion
18 from disclosure fails to serve and file a record and brief within sixty
19 days after the date of the notice of appeal, unless consent of further
20 extension is given by all parties, or unless further extension is grant-
21 ed by the court upon such terms as may be just and upon good cause
22 shown.
23 (e) The person requesting an exception from disclosure pursuant to
24 this subdivision shall in all proceedings have the burden of proving
25 entitlement to the exception.
26 (f) Where the agency denies access to a record pursuant to paragraph
27 [(d) of] (b) of this subdivision in conjunction with subdivision two of
28 section eighty-seven of this article, the agency shall have the burden
29 of proving that the record falls within the provisions of such excep-
30 tion.
31 (g) Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to deny any person
32 access, pursuant to the remaining provisions of this article, to any
33 record or part excepted from disclosure upon the express written consent
34 of the person who had requested the exception.
35 (h) As used in this subdivision the term "agency" or "state agency"
36 means only a state department, board, bureau, division, council or
37 office and any public corporation the majority of whose members are
38 appointed by the governor.
39 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
