SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

Chapter 766 of the Laws of 2005 mandated that board members of not-for-profit entities in the City of New York file financial disclosure, pursuant to Article 18 of the General Municipal Law. This statute requires these volunteers to file annual financial disclosure forms that are "at least as stringent" as the form filled out by government employees. Such forms are lengthy and require detailed personal financial information, frequently deterring qualified people from serving as volunteers. Legislation will be introduced that would amend Section 811 of the General Municipal Law to provide the City of New York with the flexibility to allow for its ethics board, the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (NYCCOIB), to develop its own financial disclosure form. Currently every municipality in the State, other than New York City, has this flexibility. The NYCCOIB has created a possible prototype for such financial disclosure form (see attached).This hearing seeks to gather information on the issues associated with the current financial disclosure statute, and examine how new legislation will address these problems. This hearing will also provide an opportunity for affected parties to provide feedback on the City's proposed prototype for the annual disclosure form.

Please see below for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. Two copies of the prepared testimony should be sent to the committee a week in advance of the hearings.

In order to further publicize this hearing, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. What effect, if any, does the current statute have on volunteers for the City of New York, including community board members and board members of the many cultural institutions of the City?

2. What are the current financial disclosure requirements for such volunteers?

3. Who, specifically, is required to comply with the current financial disclosure requirements?

4. What effect will the proposed legislation have on these volunteers?

5. In what ways can the proposed financial disclosure form (click here for a .pdf version of this form) be improved or changed?

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Financial Disclosure by Volunteers for the City of New York are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Deborah Stevens
Legislative Associate
Assembly Committee on Cities
Room 520- Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
(518) 455-4363
(518) 455-5182 Fax

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: