Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum of two hours of training, with one hour on the state's open meetings law and one hour on freedom of information law; requires certain local, city, county, town and village public body members to complete such training as well.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9603
IN SENATE
March 27, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Ethics and Internal Gover-
nance
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring
members of a public body to complete a minimum level of training on
the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law
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 79-a to read as follows:
3 § 79-a. Public officers required training. Each local officer, as
4 defined by article one of this chapter, shall complete no less than two
5 hours of training annually, with a minimum of one hour of such training
6 being on the requirements of the open meetings law, as established by
7 article seven of this chapter, and with a minimum of one hour of such
8 training being on the freedom of information law, as established by
9 article six of this chapter. All village clerks, town clerks, city
10 clerks, legislative clerks to a county legislature or board of supervi-
11 sors, village attorneys, town attorneys, city attorneys, county attor-
12 neys or other designated attorneys for a public body, and all designated
13 records access officers and FOIL appeal officers shall be required to
14 complete such training. Such training shall be approved by the committee
15 on open government established under section one hundred nine of this
16 chapter and may include training provided by a state agency, statewide
17 municipal association, non-profit organization, college, or any other
18 similar entity the committee deems necessary. Such training may be
19 provided in a variety of formats, including but not limited to, elec-
20 tronic media, distance learning or traditional classroom training. On
21 or before December thirty-first of each year, individuals required to
22 complete such training shall file with their designated records access
23 officer proof of their attendance at any such training programs required
24 by this section.
25 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02955-02-5
