Bill Text: NY A08367 | 2021-2022 | 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: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to governmental operations [A08367 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A08367-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8367

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    October 20, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  GALEF,  THIELE, FAHY, DURSO -- 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.
    23    § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 50 of the public buildings law, as added
    24  by chapter 656 of the laws of 1972, is amended to read as follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11932-02-1
        A. 8367                             2

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