S 1121: Requires state agencies to offer an option for a member of the public to speak to a live agency representative when contacting such agency.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1121 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. OBERACKER -- 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 requiring state agen- cies to offer the public an option to speak with a live agency repre- sentative 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 164-e 2 to read as follows: 3 § 164-e. Live agency representatives. Every department, bureau, board, 4 commission, authority, or any other agency or instrumentality of the 5 state shall provide an initial option for a member of the public to 6 speak to a live representative, in real time, when contacted by any such 7 member of the public using a telephone number designated by the depart- 8 ment, bureau, board, commission, authority, or any other agency or 9 instrumentality of the state for contact or receiving inquiries from the 10 public. Any automated answering system used by a department, bureau, 11 board, commission, authority, or any other agency or instrumentality of 12 the state shall begin with an option to speak to a live representative 13 prior to directing the call through any other numeric prompts. 14 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 15 it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03530-01-5