Bill Text: NY S00088 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Authorizes and directs the committee on open government to study proactive disclosure as a means of increasing transparency and access to government information.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-06-21 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S00088 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S00088-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          88
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 5, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by Sen. SQUADRON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
         ment Operations
       AN ACT in relation to authorizing and directing the  committee  on  open
         government  to  study  proactive  disclosure  as a means of increasing
         transparency and access to government information
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Legislative  findings.  The  legislature  finds  that the
    2  current freedom of information law, enacted in 1977,  has  served  as  a
    3  critical  vehicle under which the public has gained access to records of
    4  state and local governmental entities.  The  legislature  further  finds
    5  that  the freedom of information law places the burden on the individual
    6  to request information from an agency,  but  that  the  use  of  current
    7  information  technology, combined with a commitment to proactive disclo-
    8  sure, has the potential to provide information to the public to an  even
    9  greater degree than does the current law.
   10    S 2. The New York state committee on open government is hereby author-
   11  ized  and  directed to: (a) study the feasibility of requiring agencies,
   12  as defined in subdivision 3 of section 86 of the public officers law, to
   13  proactively disclose documents that are available under article 6 of the
   14  public officers law; (b) make specific findings and  legislative  recom-
   15  mendations  relating  to mandatory proactive disclosure by agencies; (c)
   16  estimate the costs or savings of proactive disclosure;  and  (d)  report
   17  its  findings to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and
   18  the speaker of the assembly no later than January 31, 2013.
   19    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00917-01-1