STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
308--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 7, 2015
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Introduced by Sen. ESPAILLAT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
and Commissions -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring
open meetings and the internet broadcast of open meetings of each
state authority
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding two new
2 sections 2824-b and 2824-c to read as follows:
3 § 2824-b. Open meetings. Each state authority shall be subject to the
4 provisions of article seven of the public officers law.
5 § 2824-c. Internet broadcast of open meetings. 1. Each state authority
6 shall broadcast over the internet, live video and audio of each open
7 meeting held by the authority. The time and place of each such meeting
8 shall be conspicuously posted on the state authority's internet website
9 at least one week prior to such meeting.
10 2. All meetings broadcast in accordance with subdivision one of this
11 section shall be recorded, archived, and made accessible to the public
12 on its website for at least one year after the date of the meeting.
13 3. The provisions of this section shall apply to all meetings of the
14 board and its committees, but shall not apply to executive sessions held
15 in accordance with article seven of the public officers law.
16 4. Each state authority which: (a) has revenue of less than one
17 million dollars; (b) has outstanding bonds or debt of less than one
18 million dollars; and (c) is allocated less than one million dollars in
19 state, county or municipal annual appropriations, may waive, for a peri-
20 od of one year, the requirements set forth in subdivisions one and two
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01911-04-5
S. 308--A 2
1 of this section, if voted upon and approved by the board of the state
2 authority.
3 5. Each state authority that approves a waiver pursuant to subdivision
4 four of this section shall be required to satisfy the requirements of
5 subdivisions one and two of this section if they surpass any of the
6 respective one million dollar thresholds set forth in subdivision four
7 of this section, in any fiscal year.
8 6. Any aggrieved person shall have standing to enforce the provisions
9 of this section against a state authority by the commencement of a
10 proceeding pursuant to article seventy-eight of the civil practice law
11 and rules, or an action for declaratory judgement and injunctive relief.
12 In any such action or proceeding, if a court determines that a state
13 authority failed to comply with this section, the court shall have the
14 power, in its discretion, upon good cause shown, to declare that the
15 state authority violated this section and/or declare the action taken in
16 relation to such violation void, in whole or in part, without prejudice
17 to the reconsideration in compliance with this section.
18 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
19 it shall have become a law.
