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New York State Senator Authors Bill to Open State Legislative Data to Broader Freedom of Information Access

"The law presumes that Legislative documents are not subject to Freedom of Information Laws, specifically listing only those documents that are public information"

Last month, New York State Sen. David J. Valesky authored a bill (S07449A) to "open up the state Legislature to the same Freedom of Information Laws that apply to other state agencies."

According to Valesky, the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) presumes state agency documents are public unless kept from disclosure by a specific exemption. "For the Legislature," said Valesky in a release, "it is reversed. The law presumes that Legislative documents are not subject to Freedom of Information Laws, specifically listing only those documents that are public information."

A story today in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle applauds the bill and cites a case of possible legislative misconduct in which records were sealed when the person resigned.
Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.