STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5458--B
Cal. No. 170
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 16, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, GRIFFIN, SILLITTI, TAYLOR, EPSTEIN,
DICKENS, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, KELLES, ZINERMAN, JACKSON, LAVINE, LUNSFORD
-- read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments --
ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining
its place on the order of third reading -- again amended on third
reading, ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third
reading
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law and the public buildings law,
in relation to prohibiting municipal officers or employees from
displaying political advertisements on or within public buildings and
various other locations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new
2 section 99-z to read as follows:
3 § 99-z. Municipal officers or employees prohibited from displaying
4 political advertisements on public property. 1. For purposes of this
5 section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
6 (a) "Municipal officer or employee" shall have the same meaning as
7 defined pursuant to section eight hundred of this chapter, except that
8 it shall also include members of any volunteer fire department which is
9 part of such municipality.
10 (b) "Political advertisement" shall mean any poster, sign, flag,
11 banner, picture, sticker, patch, bumper sticker, article of clothing,
12 accessory or any other item meant to advertise or promote a certain
13 individual for political office.
14 2. A municipal officer or employee, whether paid or unpaid, shall be
15 prohibited from displaying or causing to be displayed any political
16 advertisement on or within any public building, flag pole, monument,
17 sign or any other permanent structure, on any uniform, accessory or
18 other gear worn or used by a municipal officer as part of their official
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09066-11-2
A. 5458--B 2
1 capacity, as well as on or within any municipally owned vehicle, vehicle
2 owned by a volunteer fire company, or any equipment owned by a munici-
3 pality or fire department.
4 3. This section shall not apply when such a political advertisement
5 appears in a book, digital medium, museum, or otherwise serves an educa-
6 tional or historical purpose, or in instances where the certain individ-
7 ual who is the subject of such political advertisement is deceased.
8 § 2. The public buildings law is amended by adding a new section 147
9 to read as follows:
10 § 147. Municipal officers or employees prohibited from displaying
11 political advertisements on public property. 1. For purposes of this
12 section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
13 (a) "Municipal officer or employee" shall have the same meaning as
14 defined pursuant to section eight hundred of the general municipal law,
15 except that it shall also include members of any volunteer fire depart-
16 ment which is part of such municipality.
17 (b) "Political advertisement" shall mean any poster, sign, flag,
18 banner, picture, sticker, patch, bumper sticker, article of clothing,
19 accessory or any other item meant to advertise or promote a certain
20 individual for political office.
21 2. A municipal officer or employee, whether paid or unpaid, shall be
22 prohibited from displaying or causing to be displayed any political
23 advertisement on or within any public building, flag pole, monument,
24 sign or any other permanent structure, as well as any other location
25 specified pursuant to section ninety-nine-z of the general municipal law
26 that such municipal officer interacts with as part of their official
27 capacity.
28 3. This section shall not apply when such a political advertisement
29 appears in a book, digital medium, museum, or otherwise serves an educa-
30 tional or historical purpose, or in instances where the certain individ-
31 ual who is the subject of such political advertisement is deceased.
32 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.