S 647: Expands use of videoconferencing to purely advisory bodies.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 647 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern- ment Operations AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to expanding use of videoconferencing to purely advisory bodies The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 103-a of the public officers law 2 is amended by adding a new paragraph (j) to read as follows: 3 (j) a public body may, in its discretion, authorize members of its 4 committees and subcommittees that perform advisory functions only to 5 attend meetings of such committees and subcommittees from one or more 6 non-public locations through the use of videoconferencing and be consid- 7 ered present for purposes of fulfilling quorum requirements for such 8 meetings provided that an opportunity for the public to attend, listen 9 and observe such meetings in at least one physical location that is 10 provided and that location meets all physical access requirements of 11 section one hundred three of this article. 12 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend- 13 ments to section 103-a of the public officers law made by section one of 14 this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed 15 repealed therewith. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01977-01-5