NY State Senate Bill 2017-S7431

Senate Bill S7431

Signed By Governor

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Provides that each state agency that maintains a website shall ensure its website provides for online submission of requests for records subject to FOIL

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 18, 2018	signed chap.47
Apr 06, 2018	delivered to governor
Mar 14, 2018	returned to senate passed assembly ordered to third reading cal.157 substituted for a2131
Mar 13, 2018	referred to governmental operations delivered to assembly passed senate
Feb 06, 2018	advanced to third reading
Feb 05, 2018	2nd report cal.
Jan 30, 2018	1st report cal.365
Jan 18, 2018	referred to investigations and government operations

Votes

- Mar 13, 2018 - Floor Vote
  S7431
  
  60
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Mar 13, 2018
      
      aye (60)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Akshar
      
      Alcantara
      
      Amedore
      
      Avella
      
      Bailey
      
      Benjamin
      
      Bonacic
      
      Boyle
      
      Breslin
      
      Brooks
      
      Carlucci
      
      Comrie
      
      Croci
      
      DeFrancisco
      
      Dilan
      
      Felder
      
      Flanagan
      
      Funke
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Golden
      
      Griffo
      
      Hamilton
      
      Hannon
      
      Helming
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jacobs
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Kennedy
      
      Klein
      
      Krueger
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Larkin
      
      Little
      
      Marchione
      
      Montgomery
      
      Murphy
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      Parker
      
      Peralta
      
      Persaud
      
      Phillips
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Ritchie
      
      Rivera
      
      Robach
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Savino
      
      Serino
      
      Serrano
      
      Seward
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Tedisco
      
      Valesky
      
      Young
      
      excused (1)
      
      Marcellino
  Jan 30, 2018 - Investigations And Government Operations Committee Vote
  S7431
  
  9
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Investigations And Government Operations Committee Vote: Jan 30, 2018
      
      aye (9)
      
      Benjamin
      
      Carlucci
      
      Golden
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Lanza
      
      Murphy
      
      O'Mara
      
      Phillips

2017-S7431 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2131
Law Section:: Public Officers Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §89, Pub Off L
Versions Introduced in 2015-2016 Legislative Session:: S5010, A5768

2017-S7431 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that each state agency that maintains a website shall ensure its website provides for online submission of requests for records subject to FOIL.

2017-S7431 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7431

SPONSOR: MURPHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to allowing the
public to submit requests for access to the records of a state agency by
use of an online form

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would promote open government by requiring state agency
websites to provide for the online submission of requests for public
access to records.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

§ 1 adds a new paragraph (c) to subdivision 3 of § 89 of the Public
Officers Law to require that each state agency (as defined in subdivi-
sion five of § 89) that maintains a website shall ensure that such
website provides for the online submission of a request for records

pursuant to this article.

 
EFFECTS OF PRESENT LAW WHICH THIS BILL WOULD ALTER:

The Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) currently requires agencies to
accept e-mail requests for records, but has no requirement to provide an
online FOIL request form.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Online forms for FOIL requests have been identified as a useful best
practice for New York State agencies by organizations promoting govern-
ment transparency. Some agencies already feature such forms on their
websites. FOIL provides that agency records are presumptively available
to the public, but the failure to keep up with technological advances
can create roadblocks to such access.  Provision of an online FOIL
request form is a low-cost, high-impact means of increasing the accessi-
bility of information to the public in an efficient and convenient
manner.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S5010: 2015/2016

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

Minimal

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.

2017-S7431 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7431
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 18, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MURPHY -- 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  allowing  the
   public  to submit requests for access to the records of a state agency
   by use of an online form

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision 3 of section 89 of the public officers law is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
   (C) EACH STATE AGENCY, AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION FIVE OF THIS SECTION,
 THAT MAINTAINS A WEBSITE SHALL  ENSURE  ITS  WEBSITE  PROVIDES  FOR  THE
 ONLINE SUBMISSION OF A REQUEST FOR RECORDS PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06071-01-7

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