Bill Text: NY S08793 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 8793

Introduced

Bill Title: Enacts the "access for all act" removing the requirement for in person attendance at public meetings by community boards in a city with a population of over one million.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-12 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS [S08793 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08793-Introduced.html




                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8793

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 12, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
          ment Operations

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the public officers law, in relation to removing the
          requirement for in person attendance at  public  meetings  by  certain
          community boards

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

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "access for all act (AFA)".
     3    § 2. Section 103-a of the public officers law is amended by  adding  a
     4  new subdivision 3-a to read as follows:
     5    3-a.  The  in  person participation requirements of this section shall
     6  not apply to community boards in a city with a population  of  over  one
     7  million;  provided,  however,  that notwithstanding the requirements set
     8  forth in this section, such community boards shall not  be  required  to
     9  maintain  a physical location for meetings; and provided further, howev-
    10  er, that such community boards may, through written procedures governing
    11  member and public attendance established pursuant to and consistent with
    12  this section, allow for any member to be considered present for purposes
    13  of fulfilling the quorum requirements of such public body at  any  meet-
    14  ings  conducted  through  videoconferencing,  provided, however that the
    15  remaining criteria set forth in this section are otherwise met.
    16    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
    17  the  amendments  to  section  103-a  of  the public officers law made by
    18  section two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section  and
    19  shall be deemed repealed therewith.



         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10850-08-3