Requires each local government to live stream and post video recordings of all open meetings and public hearings; requires each local government to post such recordings for a period of not less than five years.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6640
SPONSOR: Frontus TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring all
local governments to live stream open meetings and public hearings and
make the recordings of such meetings and hearings available on the
webpage of the local government
PURPOSE:
This legislation would require local governments live stream open meet-
ings and public hearing, as well as to make these recordings available
on their website for a minimum of five years.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Section 104 by adding a new subdivision 5-a which would
require local governments to the extent practicable stream all open
meetings and public hearings on its website in real time. Further, this
section requires video recordings to be posted within five days of the
meeting or public hearing, and shall maintain these recordings for not
less than five years.
Section 2 is the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo has issued an executive
order calling for the live streaming of public meetings as local govern-
ments met remotely. Local governments adjusted and were able to comply
with this executive order, and the public has embraced this increased
accessibility to their elected officials. In Buffalo, a City Council
meeting had over 18,000 views, and in Ogdensburg a server crashed as
over 3,000 constituents attempted to view the meeting. These are two
examples that show how embraced this concept is by the public. Govern-
ment, both on the State and Local level should be doing everything
possible to increase public participation, and this legislation attempts
to increase accessibility to the public. In addition, Chapter 185, of
the Laws of 2019 required IDA's to adhere to the same requirements as
constructed within this legislation.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6640
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 23, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. FRONTUS -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to requiring all
local governments to live stream open meetings and public hearings and
make the recordings of such meetings and hearings available on the
webpage of the local government
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 104 of the public officers law is amended by adding
2 a new subdivision 5-a to read as follows:
3 5-a. Local governments shall be required, to the extent practicable,
4 to stream all open meetings and public hearings on its website in real-
5 time. Each local government shall post video recordings of all such open
6 meetings and public hearings on its website within five business days of
7 the meeting or hearing and shall maintain such recordings for a period
8 of not less than five years.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
10 it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04864-01-1
