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May 01, 2013

Governor Cuomo makes millions of additional records available on the Internet


Governor Cuomo makes millions of additional records available on the Internet

On May 1, 2013, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo made millions of additional records from multiple government agencies available on New York’s new, comprehensive data transparency website, Open.ny.gov, which was launched earlier this year to provide user-friendly, one-stop access to data from the state, localities and the federal government.

The data featured in a new “Transparency” sectionon the website includes: campaign contribution and expenditure records from the New York State Board of Elections dating back to 1999; New York State lobbying and enforcement records from the Joint Commission on Public Ethics; attorney registration as far back as 1898 from the Office of Court Administration; the New York State employee phone directory; and information on public authorities from the Authorities Budget Office.

The voluminous additional data can be searched by keyword, cross-referenced with other public datasets, downloaded for analysis, and graphed, mapped or charted using the tools available through the website.

The data published includes:

· Campaign Contributions, Expenditures, and Committees: Over seven million records of campaign contributions and expenditures dating back to 1999, along with a complete list of candidate committees registered with the Board of Elections;

· Lobbying: Complete disclosure data from the last six years of lobbying reports required under New York State law from lobbyists, clients, and public corporations. Data includes the identities of lobbyists and clients, lobbying expenditures and compensation, and subjects lobbied. The site also includes information newly required under the Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011 on client sources of fundingand lobbyist- and client-reportable business relationships, as reported to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, plus information on lobbyist disbursement of public money;

· Attorney Registration: New York State attorney registration information, including the admission date, current status (i.e., registered, disbarred, deceased, etc.), and other public information about all attorneys registered in New York State, including attorneys admitted to practice law as far back as 1898; and

· Budget Vetoes: To further increase transparency in the New York State budget process, the site now provides information about budget vetoes in the current budget. Following the enactment of the 2013-14 budget, Governor Cuomo vetoed 202 items that were added by the Legislature. Searchable, downloadable information on these vetoes is now available, including the justification for each item.

Open.ny.gov also now contains data on enforcement activities taken by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics and its predecessors dating back to 2008 and by the New York State Office of the Inspector General dating back to 2010; a new integrated list of public authorities as identified by the Authorities Budget Office; and a searchable, downloadable directory of New York State government employees, including office telephone numbers.


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THE MATERIAL ON THIS WEBSITE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. AGAIN, CHANGES IN LAWS, RULES, REGULATIONS AND NEW COURT AND ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS MAY AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS LAWBLOG. THE MATERIAL PRESENTED IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE AND THE USE OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE, OR CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING SUCH MATERIAL, DOES NOT CREATE AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP.
NYPPL Blogger Harvey Randall served as Principal Attorney, New York State Department of Civil Service; Director of Personnel, SUNY Central Administration; Director of Research, Governor’s Office of Employee Relations; and Staff Judge Advocate General, New York Guard. Consistent with the Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations, the material posted to this blog is presented with the understanding that neither the publisher nor NYPPL and, or, its staff and contributors are providing legal advice to the reader and in the event legal or other expert assistance is needed, the reader is urged to seek such advice from a knowledgeable professional.
New York Public Personnel Law. Email: publications@nycap.rr.com