Bill Text: NY A06879 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Requires state agencies to publish certain information in local, community and ethnic media; defines local, community and ethnic media; requires the office of general services to develop and maintain a list of local, community and ethnic media outlets.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-29 - print number 6879a [A06879 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A06879-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Requires state agencies to publish certain information in local, community and ethnic media; defines local, community and ethnic media; requires the office of general services to develop and maintain a list of local, community and ethnic media outlets.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-29 - print number 6879a [A06879 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A06879-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6879 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY May 8, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SHRESTHA -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring state agen- cies to publish certain information in local, community and ethnic media The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "local, 2 community and ethnic media commitment act". 3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and 4 declares New York is one of the most diverse states in America and 5 local, community and ethnic media provides an important way for the 6 state to connect and ensure that its message reaches all New Yorkers; 7 and 8 The legislature hereby finds and declares that according to the U.S. 9 Census population estimates for 2022, approximately 23 percent of New 10 York state residents and 37 percent of New York city residents are 11 foreign-born and according to the 2019 U.S. Census population estimates 12 approximately 30 percent of New York state residents do not speak 13 English as their primary language and 13 percent of New York state resi- 14 dents have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand 15 English; and 16 The legislature hereby finds and declares that the state of New York 17 wants to ensure that critical information about state services, poli- 18 cies, and opportunities reach these communities and local, community and 19 ethnic media is a pathway to allow members of these communities, many of 20 whom critically need information about New York state programs, to 21 access it; and 22 Therefore, the legislature hereby finds and declares it is essential 23 that all residents have meaningful access to state programs, services, 24 and activities, and the public safety, health, economic prosperity, and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10324-02-3A. 6879 2 1 general welfare of all New York state residents is furthered by increas- 2 ing access to New York state programs and services, regardless of native 3 language, race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion, 4 sexual orientation, disability or immigrant status. 5 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 164-e to 6 read as follows: 7 § 164-e. Bolstering our responsibility to local, community and ethnic 8 media. 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following 9 terms shall have the following meaning: 10 (a) "local, community and ethnic media" shall mean any print or 11 digital publication that: is created for communities of people based on 12 native language, race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, reli- 13 gion, sexual orientation, disability or immigrant status; targets a 14 discrete neighborhood, geographic region, or population that may or may 15 not typically receive information from mainstream publications because 16 of their exclusive use of foreign language; or falls within specifically 17 tailored subject matter as determined by the department of state. 18 (b) "state agency" or "agency" shall mean any department, division, 19 commission, agency and any other entity of the state. 20 2. Local, community and ethnic media advertising. Every state agency 21 shall ensure that, by December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five, 22 and for every year thereafter, at least fifty percent of their annual 23 print and digital publication advertising spending shall go toward 24 local, community and ethnic media outlets. The state comptroller shall 25 take all steps necessary, consistent with applicable law, to implement 26 the provisions of this section, particularly with respect to the state 27 education department, the department of health, and state housing 28 authorities. 29 3. Approved media outlet list. The comptroller shall develop and main- 30 tain a list of local, community and ethnic media outlets that promote 31 and exemplify the state's many interconnected communities, as described 32 in subdivision one of this section, for state agencies, including, but 33 not limited to, the state education department, the department of 34 health, and housing authorities, to use at their discretion. State agen- 35 cies may petition the comptroller to include advertisements such agen- 36 cies have published in outlets that are not on the approved list toward 37 their local, community and ethnic media outlet spending. 38 4. Development and transparency. State agency employees or represen- 39 tatives that work on purchasing print or digital publication advertising 40 shall be required to participate in regular trainings established by the 41 comptroller on the use of local, community and ethnic media advertising. 42 Beginning in two thousand twenty-four, and every year thereafter, state 43 agencies shall submit a year-end data report to the governor, the tempo- 44 rary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly regarding 45 the agency's annual print and digital publication advertising spending. 46 The report shall include, but not be limited to, the total amount each 47 agency spent on print and digital publication advertising and the total 48 amount each agency spent on local, community and ethnic media advertis- 49 ing. Data regarding each agency's annual print and digital publication 50 advertising shall be made available to the comptroller at the beginning 51 of each year and shall be posted on the comptroller's website. 52 5. Exemption for legally required notices. To the extent that this 53 section conflicts with a state agency's requirements to comply with 54 legal and statutory notices that require posting or distribution in 55 publications or media pursuant to local, state, or other applicable law, 56 such notices shall be exempt from the requirements in this section. ForA. 6879 3 1 purposes of this exemption, agencies may subtract the publication costs 2 of such legally required notices from their total advertising budgets 3 before calculating their required local, community and ethnic media 4 advertising spending pursuant to subdivision two of this section. 5 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
