Originally Published: June 15, 2015
Urge Governor Cuomo to sign S.1531 (Ranzenhofer) & A. 114 (Buchwald)
Transparency and government watchdog groups praise the State Senate for joining the Assembly in passing a common-sense bill that speeds up the Freedom of Information Law process. The groups thank State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer (R) and Assemblyman David Buchwald (D) for their leadership in sponsoring the legislation and applaud their bi-partisan work to win passage. (The bill has passed the Assembly for three consecutive years.)
Transparency and watchdog groups call on Governor Cuomo to sign the bill into law, and note that the bill has strong bi-partisan support in the legislature, from editorial boards and national transparency groups.
The bill reduces the total time government agencies in New York State have to appeal a judge’s decision ordering the release of public records to three months from ten. This helps the Freedom of Information Law process work better by improving agency compliance. The bill is recommended by the State’s Committee on Open Government; transparency groups and journalists have found that state agencies abuse the Freedom of Information Law process to delay the release of public records.
According to watchdog groups, the Faster FOIL bill is a simple, straightforward way to increase the transparency and accountability of New York State government. The groups note that the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and say they hope Governor Cuomo will sign it with enthusiasm.