A7552 • 2025

Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum level of training on the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Karen McMahon
Last action: 2026-05-28
Official status: Assembly Floor Calendar
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum level of training on the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law

Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum level of training on the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum of two hours of training, with one hour on the state's open meetings law and one hour on freedom of information law; requires certain local, city, county, town and village public body members to complete such training as well.

What This Bill Does

Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum level of training on the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum of two hours of training, with one hour on the state's open meetings law and one hour on freedom of information law; requires certain local, city, county, town and village public body members to complete such training as well.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-28 Assembly
REPORTED
2026-05-28 Assembly
RULES REPORT CAL.227
2026-05-28 Assembly
ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.227
2026-05-27 Assembly
REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES
2026-01-07 Assembly
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
2025-04-01 Assembly
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS

Official Summary Text

Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum level of training on the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law
Requires members of a public body to complete a minimum of two hours of training, with one hour on the state's open meetings law and one hour on freedom of information law; requires certain local, city, county, town and village public body members to complete such training as well.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7552

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                      April 1, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. McMAHON, STECK, SIMON, CONRAD, SIMONE, SCHIAVONI,
          GLICK, LEVENBERG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Govern-
          mental Operations

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public  officers  law, in relation to requiring
          members of a public body to complete a minimum level  of  training  on
          the state's open meetings law and freedom of information law

          THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section 1. The public officers law is amended by adding a new  section
     2  79-a to read as follows:
     3    §  79-A.  PUBLIC  OFFICERS REQUIRED TRAINING.   EACH LOCAL OFFICER, AS
     4  DEFINED BY ARTICLE ONE OF THIS CHAPTER, SHALL COMPLETE NO LESS THAN  TWO
     5  HOURS  OF TRAINING ANNUALLY, WITH A MINIMUM OF ONE HOUR OF SUCH TRAINING
     6  BEING ON THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW,  AS  ESTABLISHED  BY
     7  ARTICLE  SEVEN  OF  THIS CHAPTER, AND WITH A MINIMUM OF ONE HOUR OF SUCH
     8  TRAINING BEING ON THE FREEDOM OF  INFORMATION  LAW,  AS  ESTABLISHED  BY
     9  ARTICLE  SIX  OF  THIS  CHAPTER.  ALL  VILLAGE CLERKS, TOWN CLERKS, CITY
    10  CLERKS, LEGISLATIVE CLERKS TO A COUNTY LEGISLATURE OR BOARD OF  SUPERVI-
    11  SORS,  VILLAGE  ATTORNEYS, TOWN ATTORNEYS, CITY ATTORNEYS, COUNTY ATTOR-
    12  NEYS OR OTHER DESIGNATED ATTORNEYS FOR A PUBLIC BODY, AND ALL DESIGNATED
    13  RECORDS ACCESS OFFICERS AND FOIL APPEAL OFFICERS SHALL  BE  REQUIRED  TO
    14  COMPLETE SUCH TRAINING. SUCH TRAINING SHALL BE APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE
    15  ON  OPEN  GOVERNMENT  ESTABLISHED UNDER SECTION ONE HUNDRED NINE OF THIS
    16  CHAPTER AND MAY INCLUDE TRAINING PROVIDED BY A STATE  AGENCY,  STATEWIDE
    17  MUNICIPAL  ASSOCIATION,  NON-PROFIT  ORGANIZATION, COLLEGE, OR ANY OTHER
    18  SIMILAR ENTITY THE COMMITTEE  DEEMS  NECESSARY.  SUCH  TRAINING  MAY  BE
    19  PROVIDED  IN  A  VARIETY OF FORMATS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ELEC-
    20  TRONIC MEDIA, DISTANCE LEARNING OR TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM TRAINING.    ON
    21  OR  BEFORE  DECEMBER  THIRTY-FIRST OF EACH YEAR, INDIVIDUALS REQUIRED TO
    22  COMPLETE SUCH TRAINING SHALL FILE WITH THEIR DESIGNATED  RECORDS  ACCESS

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02955-02-5
        A. 7552                             2

     1  OFFICER PROOF OF THEIR ATTENDANCE AT ANY SUCH TRAINING PROGRAMS REQUIRED
     2  BY THIS SECTION.
     3    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.