Relates to requiring the state board of elections to utilize computer programs for certain online filings which are compatible with widely used programs.

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S40-2011 Actions

• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO ELECTIONS
• Jan 5, 2011: REFERRED TO ELECTIONS

S40-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S40

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the election law, in relation to requiring widely compatible
software
electronic filing of campaign
receipts and expenditures

PURPOSE:
This bill would require that the state Board
of Elections
modify its computer software to allow for the importation of data
from any commonly used database programs.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends paragraph (a) of subdivision
9-A of �3-102 of the Election Law to require that the state Board of
Elections modify its computer software to allow for the importation
of data from any commonly used database programs.

JUSTIFICATION:
The Board of Elections' current software is antiquated
in terms of the capabilities of the products and programs that are
available today. The inability of their current program to let filers
whether candidates or treasurers - conveniently import data into the
BOE's forms from any of the commonly used database programs is a
particularly serious yet easily correctable problem.

Candidates and/or the treasurers of their campaigns keep track of
reams of information on these programs. The formats of these programs
allow candidates and/or their treasurers to easily input the names,
addresses and other relevant information on contributions and
expenses, and then access it for thank you letters and other
contacts, as well as for keeping track of a campaign's finances. As
things stand today, however, in preparing the periodic filing
statements required by the BOE, all this information has to be
reentered by hand onto BOE forms. This is a tedious waste of time,
and could be avoided if the program had an up-to-date data import
function.

The resistance to requirements to file reports with state government
is directly related to the degree to which filing software is up to
date and user friendly. This change will move the BOE software in
that direction and have a positive effect on both the ease and the
willingness to file the information needed to properly monitor the
elections process.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2009-10: S.4547 (Squadron) - Elections, A.990 (Kavanagh) - Election Law
2008:    A.7490 (Kavanagh) - Election Law
2007:    A.7490 (Kavanagh) - Election Law
2006:    A.7487 (Grannis) - Passed Assembly
2005:    A.7487 (Grannis) - Passed Assembly

FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE:


Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred
eightieth day after it shall have become law.

S40-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                     40

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 5, 2011
                                 ___________

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

  AN ACT to amend the  election  law,  in  relation  to  requiring  widely
    compatible software electronic filing of campaign receipts and expend-
    itures

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


    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 9-A of section  3-102  of  the
  election  law, as amended by chapter 406 of the laws of 2005, is amended
  to read as follows:

    (a) develop an electronic reporting system to process  the  statements
  of campaign receipts, contributions, transfers and expenditures required
  to  be  filed  with any board of elections pursuant to the provisions of
  sections 14-102 and 14-104 of this  chapter  WHICH  IS  COMPATIBLE  WITH
  WIDELY  USED COMPUTER PROGRAMS WHICH PROCESS AND STORE INFORMATION SIMI-
  LAR TO THAT WHICH IS REQUIRED BY SUCH SECTIONS;
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
  it shall have become a law.





   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD00093-01-1