A 8236: Requires each state agency that publishes reports containing data on its website to post such reports in a machine-readable format; requires the state comptroller to conduct compliance audits and issue a written report to the legislature, the governor, and the audited agencies.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8236 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY May 5, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. RA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring state agen- cies to post public reports in certain formats The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 170-i 2 to read as follows: 3 § 170-i. Agency reporting requirements. 1. Every state agency that 4 publishes reports containing data on its website shall be required to 5 post such reports in a machine-readable format prospectively from the 6 effective date of this section. For purposes of this section, machine- 7 readable format shall mean a data format that can be automatically proc- 8 essed by computers. 9 2. One year after the effective date of this section, and every two 10 years thereafter, the comptroller shall conduct an audit of each state 11 agency to ensure the agency's compliance with this section. Such audit 12 shall be designed to assess each state agency's compliance with the 13 requirements of this section, and shall examine: 14 (a) Whether all reports containing data published on agency websites 15 are provided in a machine-readable format as defined in this section; 16 (b) The adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls established by 17 agencies to ensure ongoing compliance with machine-readable data publi- 18 cation requirements; and 19 (c) The completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of the data published 20 in compliance with this section. 21 3. Upon completion of each audit cycle, the comptroller shall: 22 (a) Issue a written report to the legislature, the governor, and the 23 audited agencies detailing the findings of the audit, including: 24 (i) the level of compliance by each agency; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11836-01-5 
 A. 8236 2 1 (ii) for each agency, any deficiencies, non-compliance, or areas for 2 improvement identified during the audit; and 3 (iii) for each agency, recommendations for corrective actions, process 4 improvements, or policy changes to enhance compliance and data quality. 5 (b) Summarize recurring issues or trends across agencies and provide 6 guidance for statewide improvements to data publication practices. 7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to reports 8 prepared on and after such effective date.