Grants legislative minority leaders the right to participate in budget negotiations; defines budget negotiations as any formal or informal meetings conducted by or called at the request of the governor, the temporary president of the senate or the speaker of the assembly.
BILL NUMBER:A10352
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the legislative law, in relation to
granting the minority leaders of the legislature the right to partic-
ipate in budget negotiations
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: Grants legislative minority leaders
the right to participate in budget negotiations.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: This legislation would amend the legis-
lative law by adding a new section 31-a; which defines both "Budget
negotiations", and "Minority leaders of the legislature".
JUSTIFICATION: The state budget has an effect on every individual in
the state. Therefore, every individual should have representation at
budget negotiations. The minority conferences in the legislature repre-
sent millions of New Yorkers. By excluding the minority leaders, we are
shutting out the concerns of many residents who elected those officials
to represent their needs.
The most informal meetings of the smallest municipality or governmental
entity in this state are subject to open meeting laws. Yet these meet-
ings in which a $62 billion budget is developed, are closed not only to
the public and the media, but to legislators as well.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
10352
I N A S S E M B L Y
March 19, 2010
___________
Introduced by M. of A. TEDISCO, KOLB, BARCLAY, THIELE -- Multi-Sponsored
by -- M. of A. BACALLES, BUTLER, CALHOUN, CONTE, CROUCH, O'MARA,
SAYWARD -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental
Operations
AN ACT to amend the legislative law, in relation to granting the minori-
ty leaders of the legislature the right to participate in budget nego-
tiations
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section
31-a to read as follows:
S 31-A. MINORITY LEADERS TO BE REPRESENTED DURING BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS.
1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE
FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
(A) "BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS" SHALL MEAN ANY FORMAL OR INFORMAL MEETING OR
CONFERENCE CONDUCTED BY OR AT THE REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE OR THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY FOR THE PURPOSE
OF NEGOTIATING LEGISLATION TO BE ENACTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING
THE STATE BUDGET.
(B) "MINORITY LEADERS OF THE LEGISLATURE" SHALL MEAN THE MINORITY
LEADER OF THE SENATE AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY.
2. THE MINORITY LEADERS OF THE LEGISLATURE SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE THE
SAME RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES AS THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND
THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY WITH RESPECT TO ATTENDANCE AT, AND PARTIC-
IPATION IN BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ADVANCE
NOTICE OF THE PLACE AND TIME, AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PRESENT DURING ALL
PHASES THEREOF, THE RIGHT TO A COPY OF ALL DOCUMENTATION AND DATA, IF
ANY, PRODUCED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, AND THE RIGHT TO DESIGNATE REPRE-
SENTATIVES OR EMISSARIES IF WARRANTED.
S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15875-01-0
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