S 455: Provides that, for a quorum, an advisory board may require that at a minimum, one quarter of the members and the presiding officer of a community board physically be present at a location where the public can attend for such board to conduct videoconferencing.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 455 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to lowering quorum requirements for meetings of community boards held by videoconferenc- ing The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The opening paragraph of subdivision 2 of section 103-a of 2 the public officers law, as added by section 2 of part WW of chapter 56 3 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 4 A public body may, in its discretion, use videoconferencing to conduct 5 its meetings pursuant to the requirements of this article provided that 6 a minimum number of members are present to fulfill the public body's 7 quorum requirement in the same physical location or locations where the 8 public can attend, except that in the case of an advisory body, one 9 quarter of the members and the relevant presiding officer must be pres- 10 ent in such physical location or locations, and the following criteria 11 are met: 12 § 2. Section 103-a of the public officers law is amended by adding a 13 new subdivision 6 to read as follows: 14 6. For the purposes of this section, an "advisory body" shall be 15 defined as an entity that is involved in an advisory capacity only; 16 including but not limited to engagement in policy development, program 17 planning, and program evaluation, and that may or may not vote to deter- 18 mine a final policy or programmatic outcome, including but not limited 19 to a community board in a city with a population of one million or more. 20 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 21 the amendments to section 103-a of the public officers law made by 22 sections one and two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such 23 section and shall be deemed repealed therewith. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01901-01-5