Testimonies and Bill Memos

Testimony before the City Council – oversight hearings on lobbying reform

April 19, 2024 – Testimony on bills regarding prohibitions lobbying in connection with campaign-related fundraising or political consulting, the city’s post-employment restrictions, and other proposed reforms in lobbying oversight and enforcement.

Group testimony on proposed COIB rules regarding NYC’s policymaker list

April 17, 2024 – Citizens Union joined Reinvent Albany and Common Cause NY to testify in support of the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB)'s proposed rule changes to the policymaker list. This testimony includes additional recommendations related to data transparency.

Group Memo of Opposition to legislation making significant changes to the state public campaign finance program, S8969 (Skoufis)

April 9, 2024 – Citizens joins over a dozen groups in opposition for proposed legislation that would make significant changes to the public campaign finance law before the existing public matching law is used for the first time in an election.

Memo of Support, S6173B (Skoufis)/A7052 (Sillitti), requiring New York join multistate voter list maintenance organizations

February 7, 2024 – Memo supporting legislation requiring New York to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) or another multistate voter list maintenance organization

Testimony for the 2024 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing

February 6, 2024 - Citizens Union appreciates the opportunity to submit testimony regarding Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed Executive Budget for State Fiscal Year 2025. We will focus on the proposed funding for the Public Campaign Finance Board, the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying, and the State Board of Elections.

Memo of Support: S7883/A8618, lobbying for the confirmation of persons to state office

January 16, 2024 - Citizens Union and several other good government groups submitted a memo in support of a bill to expand the term “lobbying” to include any attempts to influence the nomination or confirmation of any person to state office for a position that is subject to Senate confirmation.

Memo of Support: S995B/A3484A, LLC Transparency Act

December 15, 2023 - Citizens Union urges he Governor to sign the bill that would requirements for foreign and domestic limited liability companies (LLCs) in New York State to publicly disclose their “beneficial owners."

Memo of Support: A3291, Absentee Voting When There is Risk of Contracting or Spreading a Disease

April 5, 2023 - Memo of support for A3291 (Dinowitz), which would make permanent the definition of “illness” for the purpose of applying for an absentee ballot to mean instances when there is risk of contracting or spreading a disease that may cause illness to the voter or other members of the public.

Good Government Groups Call on Governor and Legislature to Abandon Flawed, Last Minute Proposal Changing Method for Appointing Judges to the NYS Court of Appeals

March 30, 2023 - Citizens Union, the League of Women Voters of New York State, and the Committee for Modern Courts, released the following statement calling on the Assembly to reject Governor Hochul’s proposed “program bill” (A5983/S06061) which passed the Senate this morning and will change the selection process for appointing judges to the New York State Court of Appeals:

Testimony: First Annual Public Hearing of the Commission New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government

March 29, 2023 – Citizens Union’s testimony before the new state ethics commission focused on several measures that would improve independence, transparency, and public confidence in COELIG, as well as needed changes to the lobbying law.

CU Testimony – 2023 budget oversight hearing – City Council Public Safety Committee

March 20, 2023 - Testimony before the City Council Committee on Public Safety for the FY2024 Preliminary Budget Oversight Hearing – CCRB budget

Testimony for the 2023 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing

February 15, 2023 - Testimony for the 2023 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing, Local Government and General Government, regarding the the proposed funding for the Public Campaign Finance Board and the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying

Watchdogs’ comments on Emergency Regulations, NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government

January 25, 2023 - Comments from several watchdog groups regarding emergency regulations, Part 941 on Adjudicatory Proceedings, of the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government

Memo of Support: Council bill requiring disclosures for independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to municipal ballot proposals, December 2022

December 13, 2022 - Memorandum of Support for Preconsidered Intro. T2022-2607A, Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring disclosure of the identity of contributors to entities making independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to any municipal ballot proposal or referendum

Citizens Union’s testimony before the City Council Committee on Governmental Operations: New York City’s Campaign Finance Program in the 2021 Citywide Elections (December 13, 2022)

Letter to Governor Hochul: Sign the 10-day Voter Registration and “Wrong Church” Bills Into Law

December 5, 2022 - Letter urging Governor Hohul to sign into law S2951A/A8858A (reducing the voter registration cutoff to the Constitutional minimum of 10 days) and S284C/A642C (remedies the “Wrong Church suppression” technicality by counting eligible votes on affidavit ballots cast in the correct Assembly District, but at the incorrect poll site)

Citizens Union testimony – NYC Districting Commission August 16th, 2022 hearing

August 16, 2022 - Citizens Union’s written testimony before the NYC Districting Commission during the second round of public hearings on the new Council district proposal

Citizens Union testimony – NYC Districting Commission Jul 7, 2022 Hearing

July 7, 2022 - Citizens Union’s written testimony before the NYC Districting Commission during the preliminary round of public hearings on the Council redistricting process

Citizens Union testimony – NYC Districting Commission May 26, 2022 Hearing

May 26, 2022 - Citizens Union’s written testimony before the NYC Districting Commission during the preliminary round of public hearings on the Council redistricting process

Memo in support of S8428/A9050, a bill clarifying the intent of the 50-a repeal, April 2022

April 13, 2022 - Group Memorandum in Support of S8428/A9050, an act to amend the public officers law, in relation to the disclosure of law enforcement officer's disciplinary records.

Memo of Support for a Senate Legislative Package Concerning Board of Elections Reform, April 2022

April 2022 - Memorandum in support of a State Senate legislative package concerning reforming the Board of Elections, including bills S263 (Myrie), S823A (Kreuger), S4542A (Mayer), S5800B (Comrie), S6684A (Mannion), S7442 (Myrie), S8289 (Gaughran), S8292 (Mannion), S8311 (Mayer), S8337 (May)

Memo of Support: A642B/S284B, Counting “Wrong Church” affidavit ballots

March 18, 2022 - Memorandum of support for A642B (Myrie)/S284B (Carroll), an act to amend the election law, in relation to counting of affidavit ballots. This bill would require counting the votes of eligible voters who cast an affidavit ballot at an incorrect poll site but in the correct county, instead of disqualifying the entire ballot. Only votes for contests to which that individual was entitled to vote in would be counted.

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