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BILL NUMBER:S2306               REVISED 1/25/13

TITLE  OF  BILL:   An act to amend the executive law, in relation to the distribution of annual reports

PURPOSE: The purpose of this bill is to  reduce  the  number  of  bills, reports,  digests, records and various documents printed by the New York State Legislature and establish a process to make these documents available electronically through the websites of the New York  State  Senate, Assembly and State Agencies.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section  1.  Section 164 of the executive law, as amended by chapter 833 of the laws of 1965, is amended  to  state,  "each  department,  to  the extent  practicable,  shall make such annual report available to members of the legislature in electronic format. Such reports shall be forwarded to members of the legislature in printed form only upon specific request of a member of the legislature for such printed report."

JUSTIFICATION: Each year, thousands of bills are  introduced  and  every single  measure  gets printed multiple times. It has been estimated that this Could save taxpayers millions of dollars.

Eliminating automatic bill printing would save money and save resources. Instead of having all legislation and reports printed on  paper,  making them  available on a digital format where lawmakers can view it on their laptops and mobile devices would deliver significant savings. If  necessary,  Members  of  the Legislature, State Agencies and the public could print a copy from their own computer.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed similar legislation (by a  vote of  399-0)  to  stop  the  mandatory  printing  of  congressional bills. Several state legislatures have gone paperless or are experimenting with going digital. They include California,  Connecticut,  Florida,  Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.  It's  estimated  that  Ohio  has  saved  $1.5  million since going digital.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New legislation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.

Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________

2306

2013-2014 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

January 15, 2013
___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  BALL  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to  the  distribution  of
  annual reports

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Section 164 of the executive law, as amended by chapter 833
of the laws of 1965, is amended to read as follows:
  S 164. Reports by and to the department.  Each department, other  than
the  executive  department,  shall make an annual report to the governor
and legislature on or before the fifteenth day of May, for the preceding
calendar year. It shall contain such information concerning the  depart-
ment  and  its  several divisions, bureaus, offices, agencies and insti-
tutions, and their activities and affairs, and such recommendations,  as
the  head  of  the  department  shall  deem necessary or proper, and any
matters required by express provision of law  to  be  included  in  such
report.  A  department also shall make such other and special reports as
the governor or either house of the legislature may require.  From  time
to time, the head of a department may require from any board, commission
or  other  body  in  the  department  or from any subordinate officer or
employee, division or bureau of the department, or from any  institution
subject  to the supervision of the department, or from any agency of the
department, such reports or information as such head may deem necessary.
Unless expressly authorized by the head of the department,  there  shall
be  hereafter  no  separate report, annual or otherwise, directly to the
legislature or governor by any such board,  commission,  body,  officer,
division,  bureau,  institution  or  agency notwithstanding any existing
provision of law authorizing or requiring such report.  EACH DEPARTMENT,
TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, SHALL MAKE SUCH ANNUAL  REPORT  AVAILABLE  TO
MEMBERS  OF  THE LEGISLATURE IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT. SUCH REPORTS SHALL BE
FORWARDED TO MEMBERS OF  THE  LEGISLATURE  IN  PRINTED  FORM  ONLY  UPON
SPECIFIC REQUEST OF A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE FOR SUCH PRINTED REPORT.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD03195-01-3