Bill Text: NY A01688 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Grants the legislature the authority to direct the attorney-general by concurrent resolution to inquire into matters concerning the public peace, public safety and public justice.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-2)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to governmental operations [A01688 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A01688-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1688

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 17, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced   by  M.  of  A.  SIMON,  FAHY,  AUBRY,  DINOWITZ,  GANDOLFO,
          J. A. GIGLIO, SEAWRIGHT, JACKSON, ZINERMAN -- read once  and  referred
          to the Committee on Governmental Operations

        AN  ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to granting the legisla-
          ture the authority to direct  the  attorney-general  to  inquire  into
          matters concerning the public peace, public safety and public justice

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 8 of  section  63  of  the  executive  law,  as
     2  amended  by  chapter  451  of  the  laws  of 1977, is amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4    8. (a) Whenever in his or her judgment the  public  interest  requires
     5  it,  the  attorney-general  may,  with the approval of the governor, and
     6  when directed by the governor, shall, inquire  into  matters  concerning
     7  the  public peace, public safety and public justice. For such purpose he
     8  or she may, in his or her discretion, and without civil service examina-
     9  tion, appoint and employ, and at pleasure remove, such  deputies,  offi-
    10  cers  and  other  persons  as he or she deems necessary, determine their
    11  duties and, with the approval of the governor, fix  their  compensation.
    12  All  appointments made pursuant to this [subdivision] paragraph shall be
    13  immediately reported to the governor, and shall not be reported  to  any
    14  other state officer or department. Payments of salaries and compensation
    15  of  officers  and  employees and of the expenses of the inquiry shall be
    16  made out of funds provided by the legislature for such  purposes,  which
    17  shall be deposited in a bank or trust company in the names of the gover-
    18  nor  and the attorney-general, payable only on the draft or check of the
    19  attorney-general, countersigned by the governor, and such  disbursements
    20  shall  be  subject  to no audit except by the governor and the attorney-
    21  general. The attorney-general, his or  her  deputy,  or  other  officer,
    22  designated  by  him  or  her, is empowered to subpoena witnesses, compel
    23  their attendance, examine them under oath before himself or herself or a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01529-01-3

        A. 1688                             2

     1  magistrate and require that any books, records, documents [or],  papers,
     2  or  electronic  communications  or  records  relevant or material to the
     3  inquiry be turned over to him or  her  for  inspection,  examination  or
     4  audit, pursuant to the civil practice law and rules. If a person subpoe-
     5  naed to attend upon such inquiry fails to obey the command of a subpoena
     6  without reasonable cause, or if a person in attendance upon such inquiry
     7  shall, without reasonable cause, refuse to be sworn or to be examined or
     8  to  answer  a  question  or to produce a book [or], paper, or electronic
     9  communication or record, when ordered so to do by the officer conducting
    10  such inquiry, he or she shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.  It  shall  be
    11  the duty of all public officers, their deputies, assistants and subordi-
    12  nates,  clerks  and  employees,  and  all  other  persons, to render and
    13  furnish to the attorney-general, his or her deputy or  other  designated
    14  officer,  when  requested,  all  information  and  assistance  in  their
    15  possession  and  within  their  power.  Each  deputy  or  other  officer
    16  appointed  or  designated  to  conduct  such inquiry shall make a weekly
    17  report in detail to the attorney-general, in form to be approved by  the
    18  governor  and  the attorney-general, which report shall be in duplicate,
    19  one copy of which shall be forthwith, upon its receipt by the  attorney-
    20  general,  transmitted by him or her to the governor. Any officer partic-
    21  ipating in such inquiry and any person examined as a witness  upon  such
    22  inquiry  who shall disclose to any person other than the governor or the
    23  attorney-general the name of any witness  examined  or  any  information
    24  obtained  upon  such  inquiry, except as directed by the governor or the
    25  attorney-general, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
    26    (b) Provided, further, that the  legislature  shall  be  empowered  to
    27  direct  the  attorney-general  by  concurrent resolution to inquire into
    28  matters concerning the public peace, public safety and  public  justice.
    29  For  such  purposes  the attorney-general may, in his or her discretion,
    30  and without civil service examination, appoint and employ, and at pleas-
    31  ure remove, such deputies, officers and other persons as he or she deems
    32  necessary, determine their duties and, with the approval of the legisla-
    33  ture, fix their compensation. All appointments  made  pursuant  to  this
    34  paragraph  shall  be  immediately reported to the temporary president of
    35  the senate and the speaker of the assembly and shall not be reported  to
    36  any  other state officer or department. Payments of salaries and compen-
    37  sation of officers and employees and of  the  expenses  of  the  inquiry
    38  shall  be  made  out  of  funds  provided  by  the  legislature for such
    39  purposes, which shall be deposited in a bank or  trust  company  in  the
    40  names  of  the  temporary  president  of  the senate, the speaker of the
    41  assembly, and the attorney-general, payable only on the draft  or  check
    42  of the attorney-general, countersigned by the temporary president of the
    43  senate  and the speaker of the assembly, and such disbursements shall be
    44  subject to no audit except by the legislature and the  attorney-general.
    45  The attorney-general, his or her deputy, or other officer, designated by
    46  him or her, is empowered to subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance,
    47  examine  them  under  oath before him or her or a magistrate and require
    48  that any books, records, documents, papers, or electronic communications
    49  or records relevant or material to the inquiry be turned over to him  or
    50  her for inspection, examination or audit, pursuant to the civil practice
    51  law  and rules. If a person subpoenaed to attend upon such inquiry fails
    52  to obey the command of a subpoena without  reasonable  cause,  or  if  a
    53  person  in attendance upon such inquiry shall, without reasonable cause,
    54  refuse to be sworn or to be examined or  to  answer  a  question  or  to
    55  produce  a  book,  paper,  or  electronic  communication  or record when
    56  ordered to do so by the officer conducting such inquiry, he or she shall

        A. 1688                             3

     1  be guilty of a misdemeanor. It shall be the duty of all public officers,
     2  their deputies, assistants and subordinates, clerks and  employees,  and
     3  all other persons, to render and furnish to the attorney-general, his or
     4  her  deputy or other designated officer, when requested, all information
     5  and assistance in their possession and within their power.  Each  deputy
     6  or  other  officer appointed or designated to conduct such inquiry shall
     7  make a weekly report in detail to the attorney-general, in a form to  be
     8  approved by the legislature and the attorney-general, which report shall
     9  be  in duplicate, one copy of which shall be forthwith, upon its receipt
    10  by the attorney-general, transmitted by him  or  her  to  the  temporary
    11  president  of  the  senate  and the speaker of the assembly. Any officer
    12  participating in such inquiry and any person examined as a witness  upon
    13  such inquiry who shall disclose to any person other than the legislature
    14  or the attorney-general the name of any witness examined or any informa-
    15  tion  obtained  upon such inquiry, except as directed by the legislature
    16  or the attorney-general, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. The  investi-
    17  gation described in this paragraph shall be entirely free from interfer-
    18  ence from the governor or any other state agency or official. The attor-
    19  ney-general and legislature shall be under no obligation to disclose any
    20  information  pertaining  to  such  investigation with any such agency or
    21  official and shall be empowered to take additional steps not  prescribed
    22  by this paragraph to shield the investigation from attempts to influence
    23  such investigation which they deem unwarranted and inappropriate.
    24    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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