Requires that the governor, temporary president of the senate and senate minority leader jointly develop a questionnaire to be filled out and completed by any applicant for appointment to an office by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the senate; makes related provisions.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5096
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 18, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. GRIFFO -- 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 disclosure
related to appointments by the governor and senate
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public officers law is amended by adding a new section
2 7-a to read as follows:
3 § 7-a. Disclosure related to appointments by the governor and senate.
4 1. The governor, temporary president of the senate, and senate minority
5 leader shall jointly develop a questionnaire to be filled out and
6 completed by any applicant for appointment to an office by the governor
7 by and with the advice and consent of the senate. The questionnaire
8 shall be developed by September thirtieth, two thousand twenty-five, and
9 may be amended thereafter jointly by the governor, temporary president
10 of the senate, and senate minority leader. After the questionnaire is
11 developed, the questionnaire shall be publicly posted on the public
12 facing website of the governor and senate.
13 2. The questionnaire jointly developed by the governor, temporary
14 president of the senate, and senate minority leader shall include, but
15 not be limited to, questions about the following subject matters:
16 (a) Name, address, social security number, home telephone number,
17 business telephone number, cellular number, email address;
18 (b) Biographical information including: date of birth, place of birth,
19 whether name has changed since birth, citizenship status;
20 (c) Marital status including: information regarding any current or
21 former spouse; status of any child support or maintenance obligations;
22 (d) Prior residences for the prior five years;
23 (e) Information about employment history for at least the prior ten
24 years, including information about any involuntary terminations;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08535-01-5
S. 5096 2
1 (f) Information about educational history;
2 (g) Information about professional certifications;
3 (h) Information about military service;
4 (i) Information about affiliations with organizations;
5 (j) Information about published works, speeches and awards;
6 (k) References;
7 (l) Conflicts of interest, including conflicts related to immediate
8 family members, direct and indirect financial conflicts of interest, and
9 conflicts related to current and prior employment;
10 (m) Judgment or tax liabilities;
11 (n) Bankruptcies;
12 (o) Criminal history;
13 (p) Relevant experience; and
14 (q) Any additional disclosures agreed to by the governor and temporary
15 president of the senate.
16 3. The governor, temporary president of the senate, and senate minori-
17 ty leader shall jointly develop a standardized disclosure document for
18 every applicant for appointment to an office by the governor by and with
19 the advice and consent of the senate. Such disclosure document shall
20 provide information about the findings of any investigations into the
21 background of every applicant, including verification of their responses
22 to questions in the jointly developed questionnaire. The standardized
23 disclosure document shall be developed by September thirtieth, two thou-
24 sand twenty-five, and may be amended jointly by the governor, temporary
25 president of the senate, and senate minority leader. After the question-
26 naire is developed, the questionnaire shall be publicly posted on the
27 public facing website of the governor and senate.
28 4. Beginning September thirtieth, two thousand twenty-five, when an
29 appointment to an office by the governor by and with the advice and
30 consent of the senate is communicated, in the form of a written nomi-
31 nation of a person for the office, the governor shall provide a copy of
32 the jointly developed questionnaire completed by the nominee and a copy
33 of the completed disclosure document for such nominee to the senate. The
34 temporary president of the senate shall ensure that such completed ques-
35 tionnaire and disclosure document is shared electronically with all
36 members of the senate within seven days of when the nomination is sent.
37 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
