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.
February 7, 2024 – Memo supporting legislation requiring New York to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) or another multistate voter list maintenance organization
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.
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.
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."
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.
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:
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.
March 20, 2023 - Testimony before the City Council Committee on Public Safety for the FY2024 Preliminary Budget Oversight Hearing – CCRB budget
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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.
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)
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.
February 28, 2022 - Testimony before the City Council Committee on Governmental Operations on New York City’s Pro-Voter Law (Agency-Based Voter Registration)
January 25, 2022 - Testimony for the 2022 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing regarding the Public Protection and General Government Article VII Legislation, and specifically the Independent Ethics Commission Reform Act of 2022
November 26, 2021 - a memorandum of opposition to Int 2429-2021, A local law to amend the New York City Charter, in relation to the budget of the Campaign Finance Board, which would reduce the budgetary independence of the Campaign Finance Board
November 22, 2021 - CU Memorandum of support for to bills before the City Council, Int. 2440-2021 (Adams), authorizing the Civilian Complaint Review Board to initiate complaints, and Int. 2297-2021 (Moya), in relation to qualification for service with the Police Department