Bill Text: NY A07914 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Authorizes the public to participate in public meetings in person or remotely through the use of a telephone conference, a video conference, and/or other similar technology.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-3)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to governmental operations [A07914 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A07914-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7914

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     August 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SIMON, THIELE, FAHY, DURSO, SEAWRIGHT, ZINERMAN,
          DINOWITZ, GUNTHER, BURDICK, STIRPE,  K. BROWN,  J. A. GIGLIO  --  read
          once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations

        AN ACT to amend the public officers law and the public buildings law, in
          relation  to  authorizing the public to participate in public meetings
          in person or remotely

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivisions (b) and (d) of section 103 of the public offi-
     2  cers  law,  subdivision  (b) as added by chapter 368 of the laws of 1977
     3  and subdivision (d) as added by chapter 43 of  the  laws  of  2010,  are
     4  amended to read as follows:
     5    (b)  Public  bodies  shall  make  or  cause  to be made all reasonable
     6  efforts to ensure that meetings  are  held  in  facilities  that  permit
     7  barrier-free  physical  access  to  [the physically handicapped] persons
     8  with disabilities, as defined in subdivision five of  section  fifty  of
     9  the public buildings law.
    10    (d)  1.  Any meeting of a public body that is open to the public shall
    11  be open to being photographed, broadcast, webcast, or otherwise recorded
    12  and/or transmitted by audio or video means.  As  used  herein  the  term
    13  "broadcast" shall also include the transmission of signals by cable.
    14    2.  Any meeting of a public body shall allow the public to participate
    15  in the meeting in person or remotely through  the  use  of  a  telephone
    16  conference, a video conference and/or other similar technology.
    17    3. A public body may adopt rules, consistent with recommendations from
    18  the  committee  on open government, reasonably governing the location of
    19  equipment and personnel  used  to  photograph,  broadcast,  webcast,  or
    20  otherwise record a meeting so as to conduct its proceedings in an order-
    21  ly  manner. Such rules shall be conspicuously posted during meetings and
    22  written copies shall be provided upon request to those in attendance.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09795-01-3
        A. 7914                             2

     1    § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 50 of the public buildings law, as added
     2  by chapter 656 of the laws of 1972, is amended to read as follows:
     3    5. ["Physically handicapped"] "Persons with disabilities" means
     4    (a) impairment requiring confinement to a wheel chair; or
     5    (b) impairment causing difficulty or insecurity in walking or climbing
     6  stairs  or  requiring  the  use  of braces, crutches or other artificial
     7  supports; or impairment caused by amputation, arthritis, spastic  condi-
     8  tion  or pulmonary, cardiac or other ills rendering the individual semi-
     9  ambulatory; or
    10    (c) total or partial impairment of hearing or sight causing insecurity
    11  or likelihood of exposure to danger in public places; or
    12    (d) impairment due to conditions of aging and incoordination.
    13    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.