S5071-2011 - NY Senate Open Legislation - Enlarges the definition of the term election for certain purposes

Enlarges the definition of the term "election" for certain purposes.

Sponsor: LAVALLE / Committee: ELECTIONS
Law Section: Election Law / Law: Amd S14-100, El L

S5071-2011 Actions

Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO ELECTIONS
Jun 24, 2011: COMMITTED TO RULES
Jun 13, 2011: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
Jun 7, 2011: 2ND REPORT CAL.
Jun 6, 2011: 1ST REPORT CAL.1029
May 3, 2011: REFERRED TO ELECTIONS

S5071-2011 Meetings

Elections: Jun 6, 2011

S5071-2011 Calendars

Floor Calendar: Jun 7, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 13, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 14, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 15, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 16, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 17, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 21, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 22, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 23, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 24, 2011

S5071-2011 Votes

VOTE: COMMITTEE VOTE: - Elections - Jun 6, 2011

Ayes (8): O'Mara, Ball, Gallivan, Nozzolio, Ranzenhofer, Addabbo, Dilan, Carlucci

S5071-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S5071

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the election law, in relation to enlarging the definition of
the term "election" for certain purposes

PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to require reporting of spending in support
of or opposition to certain school district budget proposals.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill would add school district budget proposal votes conducted
pursuant to Education Law sections 2022 (common school districts, union
free school district, central school districts and central high school
districts) and 2601-a (cites with fewer than 125,000 inhabitants) to
those ballot proposals that require campaign receipt and expenditure
disclosures under Article 14 of the Election Law.

JUSTIFICATION:
For those areas outside of the state's five most populous cities,
perhaps no local political unit has a greater impact on the community
than the school districts. School districts, led by tireless citizen
board members, trustees and volunteers, shape community education policy
in the state and have a direct and substantial impact on the property
taxes paid by local residents. School board decisions, including budgets
submitted to voters for approval, determine the level of local taxpayer
resources that will be devoted to public education and concomitantly,
how much the community will contribute in resources to underwrite this
fundamental public purpose.

Under existing law, taxpayers and voters have no way to obtain
information about spending by outside interests to influence the outcome
of school district budget proposal votes. As state resources available
for school districts diminish, school budget decisions take on greater
fiscal significance at the local level, with school elections the
subject of greater public interest. This legislation will assure that
the public's right to know who is attempting to influence the outcome of
these elections will be disclosed.

While current Education Law section 1528 requires candidates for school
boards to report locally and to the Commissioner of the Department of
Education on their fundraising and spending for local school board
races, there is no similar reporting requirement for outside interests
attempting to influence the outcome of a school budget vote.

This legislation would remedy a significant transparency gap in current
law by requiring reporting to the New York State Board of Elections from
those outside interests who raise and spend significant monies to
influence the outcome of a school budget vote.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New legislation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Minimal

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately.

S5071-2011 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
                                          5071
 2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 I N  SENATE
 May 3, 2011
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. LAVALLE -- 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  enlarging  the  defi
 nition of the term "election" for certain purposes
 

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

 

Section 1. Subdivision 11 of section 14-100 of the  election  law,  as
 added  by chapter 8 of the laws of 1978 and redesignated by chapter 9 of
 the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:

 11. "election" means all general, special and primary  elections,  but
 shall  not include elections provided for pursuant to the education law,
 special district elections, fire district elections or library  district
 elections  EXCEPT  THAT  IT  SHALL  INCLUDE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET VOTES
 PURSUANT TO SECTIONS TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-TWO  AND  TWENTY-SIX  HUNDRED
 ONE-A OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
 

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD10847-01-1

S5071-2011: Enlarges the definition of the term election for certain purposes