Bill Text: NY A02921 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to meetings and absences of the board of regents.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-03-14 - substituted by s6503 [A02921 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-A02921-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 2921 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y January 20, 2015 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. NOLAN, COLTON, JAFFEE, GALEF -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, GLICK, GOTTFRIED, TITONE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to meetings and absences of the board of regents THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Section 204 of the education law is amended to read as 2 follows: 3 S 204. Meetings and absences. 1. (A) The regents may provide for regu- 4 lar meetings[, and the chancellor, or the commissioner of education, or 5 any five regents, may at any time call a special meeting of the board of 6 regents and fix the time and place therefor; and at least ten days' 7 notice of every meeting shall be mailed to the usual address of each 8 regent. If any regent shall fail to attend three consecutive meetings, 9 without excuse accepted as satisfactory by the regents, he may be deemed 10 to have resigned and the regents shall then report the vacancy to the 11 legislature, which shall fill it] OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND ANY 12 COMMITTEE, SUBCOMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, OR OTHER SUBGROUPS THEREOF. NOTICE 13 OF TIME AND PLACE FOR ALL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF 14 REGENTS AND ANY COMMITTEE, SUBCOMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, OR OTHER SUBGROUPS 15 THEREOF SHALL BE PUBLICLY PROVIDED AT LEAST SEVEN DAYS IN ADVANCE OF 16 SUCH MEETING. SUCH NOTICE OF TIME, PLACE AND AGENDA SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED 17 VIA THE BOARD'S OFFICIAL INTERNET WEBSITE AND SPECIFICALLY DISTRIBUTED 18 BY UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO ALL REGENTS AT THEIR USUAL ADDRESSES 19 AND, IF A MEETING OF A COMMITTEE, SUBCOMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, OR OTHER 20 SUBGROUPS THEREOF, BY SUCH MEANS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE 21 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE OR ELECTRONIC MEANS, AS DETERMINED BY THE 22 COMMITTEE, SUBCOMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, OR OTHER SUBGROUPS THEREOF. AN 23 AGENDA FOR A REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD SHALL BE COMPRISED OF A 24 LIST OF ALL ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03588-02-5 A. 2921 2 1 MATTER OF EACH SUCH ITEM AND SHALL BE POSTED AT LEAST THREE DAYS IN 2 ADVANCE OF THE MEETING; PROVIDED HOWEVER, THAT IN AN INSTANCE OF A 3 HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY EMERGENCY, THE BOARD MAY INCLUDE ADDITIONAL 4 ITEMS TO THE AGENDA WITH LESS THAN THREE DAYS NOTICE. IN AN INSTANCE OF 5 A HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY EMERGENCY, THE BOARD SHALL USE BEST EFFORTS TO 6 MAKE PUBLIC ANY CHANGES TO THE AGENDA PRIOR TO THE REGULAR MEETING. THE 7 NOTICE AND AGENDA SHALL BE CONSIDERED A PUBLIC RECORD. 8 (B) THE CHANCELLOR OR THE COMMISSIONER, OR ANY FIVE REGENTS, MAY AT 9 ANY TIME CALL A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND FIX THE TIME 10 AND PLACE THEREFOR. NOTICE OF TIME, PLACE AND AGENDA FOR ALL SPECIAL 11 PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS SHALL BE PUBLICLY PROVIDED AT 12 LEAST THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE OF SUCH MEETING. SUCH NOTICE OF TIME, PLACE 13 AND AGENDA SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED VIA THE BOARD'S OFFICIAL INTERNET 14 WEBSITE AND SPECIFICALLY CIRCULATED ACCORDING TO THE RULES AND REGU- 15 LATIONS OF THE REGENTS TO ALL REGENTS. THE BOARD OF REGENTS SPECIAL 16 PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA SHALL BE COMPRISED OF A LIST OF ALL ITEMS TO BE 17 CONSIDERED WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF EACH SUCH ITEM; 18 PROVIDED HOWEVER, THAT IN AN INSTANCE OF A HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY EMER- 19 GENCY, THE BOARD MAY INCLUDE ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO THE AGENDA WITH LESS 20 THAN THREE DAYS NOTICE. IN AN INSTANCE OF A HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY 21 EMERGENCY, THE BOARD SHALL USE BEST EFFORTS TO MAKE PUBLIC ANY CHANGES 22 TO THE AGENDA PRIOR TO THE SPECIAL MEETING. THE NOTICE AND AGENDA SHALL 23 BE CONSIDERED A PUBLIC RECORD. 24 2. ANY MEETING OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND ANY COMMITTEE, SUBCOMMIT- 25 TEE, TASK FORCE, OR OTHER SUBGROUPS THEREOF SHALL BE CONDUCTED IN 26 ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE SEVEN OF THE PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW. 27 3. A SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE REPORTS, ANY OTHER MINUTES, AND ATTENDANCE 28 OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS FOR EITHER REGULAR OR SPECIAL MEETINGS SHALL BE 29 ELECTRONICALLY AVAILABLE ON THE BOARD OF REGENTS WEBSITE AT THE CLOSE OF 30 EACH BOARD MEETING AND SHALL BE CONSIDERED A PUBLIC RECORD. THE VIDEO 31 RECORDING OF ANY REGULAR FULL BOARD MEETING SHALL BE POSTED NO LATER 32 THAN FIVE DAYS FOLLOWING THE MEETING OF THE BOARD. ANY MEETING SUMMARIES 33 AND ACTIONS TAKEN SHALL BE POSTED ON THE BOARD OF REGENTS WEBSITE WITHIN 34 FIVE DAYS OF APPROVAL BY THE BOARD. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE BOARD OF 35 REGENTS WEBSITE SHALL REMAIN ON THE SITE AS ARCHIVED DATA FOR A MINIMUM 36 OF TEN YEARS. 37 4. IF ANY REGENT SHALL FAIL TO ATTEND THREE CONSECUTIVE MEETINGS, 38 WITHOUT EXCUSE ACCEPTED AS SATISFACTORY BY THE REGENTS, THAT REGENT MAY 39 BE DEEMED TO HAVE RESIGNED AND THE REGENTS SHALL THEN REPORT THE VACANCY 40 TO THE LEGISLATURE WHICH SHALL FILL IT. 41 S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 42 have become a law.