STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5447 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. MORINELLO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the public officers law, the legislative law, the election law and the executive law, in relation to ethics reform The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 74 of the public officers law, as 2 amended by chapter 14 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 4. Violations. In addition to any penalty contained in any other 5 provision of law any such officer, member or employee who shall knowing- 6 ly and intentionally violate any of the provisions of this section may 7 be fined, suspended or removed from office or employment in the manner 8 provided by law. Any such individual who knowingly and intentionally 9 violates the provisions of paragraph b, c, d or i of subdivision three 10 of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount not to 11 exceed [ten] forty thousand dollars and the value of any gift, compen- 12 sation or benefit received as a result of such violation. Any such indi- 13 vidual who knowingly and intentionally violates the provisions of para- 14 graph a, e or g of subdivision three of this section shall be subject to 15 a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed the value of any gift, 16 compensation or benefit received as a result of such violation. 17 § 2. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 5-c to 18 read as follows: 19 § 5-c. Term limits. No member of the legislature may be elected to 20 serve more than four consecutive two-year terms as temporary president 21 of the senate, minority leader of the senate, speaker of the assembly, 22 minority leader of the assembly or chairperson of any senate or assembly 23 committee. 24 § 3. The election law is amended by adding a new section 14-115 to 25 read as follows: 26 § 14-115. Restrictions on campaign contributions for individuals, 27 businesses or corporations that were awarded contracts with the state or 28 any municipal corporation. 1. Individuals, businesses or corporations EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06818-01-5
A. 5447 2 1 that enter into a contract with this state or any municipal corporation 2 shall be prohibited from making any contribution to any state official 3 elected to public office or their family, any political committee, or 4 any independent expenditure committee as defined under section 14-100 of 5 this article within one year of the contract being awarded to the 6 person, business or corporation. 7 2. Individuals, businesses or corporations that submit a response to a 8 duly issued request for proposal with the state or any municipality in 9 regard to a contract shall disclose in the proposal any campaign 10 contributions made in the previous three hundred sixty-five days to any 11 state official elected to public office or their family, any political 12 committee or any independent expenditure and if the individual, business 13 or corporation is awarded the contract, any state official elected to 14 public office or their family, any political committee or any independ- 15 ent expenditure that received any campaign contributions from said indi- 16 vidual, business or corporation within the last three hundred sixty-five 17 days shall refund such campaign contributions to the respective individ- 18 ual, business or corporation in full. 19 § 4. Subdivision 1 of section 14-114 of the election law, as amended 20 by chapter 105 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows: 21 1. The following limitations apply to all contributions to candidates 22 for election to any public office or for nomination for any such office, 23 or for election to any party positions, and to all contributions to 24 political committees working directly or indirectly with any candidate 25 to aid or participate in such candidate's nomination or election, other 26 than any contributions to any party committee or constituted committee: 27 a. In any election for a public office to be voted on by the voters of 28 the entire state, or for nomination to any such office, no contributor 29 may make a contribution to any candidate or political committee, partic- 30 ipating in the state's public campaign financing system pursuant to 31 title two of this article and no such candidate or political committee 32 may accept any contribution from any contributor, which is in the aggre- 33 gate amount greater than [eighteen] ten thousand dollars divided equally 34 among the primary and general election in an election cycle[; provided 35 however, that the maximum amount which may be so contributed or 36 accepted, in the aggregate, from any candidate's child, parent, grand- 37 parent, brother and sister, and the spouse of any such persons, shall 38 not exceed in the case of any nomination to public office an amount 39 equivalent to the product of the number of enrolled voters in the candi- 40 date's party in the state, excluding voters in inactive status, multi- 41 plied by $.025, and in the case of any election for a public office, an 42 amount equivalent to the product of the number of registered voters in 43 the state excluding voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.025]. 44 b. In any [nomination or election of a candidate] other election for 45 party position or for election to a public office or for nomination for 46 any such office, no contributor may make a contribution to any candidate 47 or political committee participating in the state's public campaign 48 financing system pursuant to title two of this article[,] and no such 49 candidate or political committee may accept any contribution from any 50 contributor, which is in the aggregate amount greater than[: (i)] ten 51 thousand dollars; however in the case of a nomination within the city of 52 New York for the office of mayor, public advocate or comptroller, such 53 amount shall be not less than four thousand dollars nor more than ten 54 thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of living adjust- 55 ment described in paragraph c of this subdivision; in the case of an 56 election within the city of New York for the office of mayor, public
A. 5447 3 1 advocate or comptroller, ten thousand dollars as increased or decreased 2 by the cost of living adjustment described in paragraph c of this subdi- 3 vision; in the case of a nomination or election for state senator, ten 4 thousand dollars, divided equally among the primary and general election 5 in an election cycle; [and (ii)] in the case of a nomination or election 6 for member of the assembly, six thousand dollars, divided equally among 7 the primary and general election in an election cycle[; provided howev- 8 er, that the maximum amount which may be so contributed or accepted, in 9 the aggregate, from such candidate's child, parent, grandparent, brother 10 and sister, and the spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the 11 case of any nomination for state senator or member of the assembly an 12 amount equivalent to the number of enrolled voters in the candidate's 13 party in the district in which he or she is a candidate, excluding 14 voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.25 and in the case of any 15 election for state senator or member of the assembly, an amount equiv- 16 alent to the number of registered voters in the district, excluding 17 voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.25] or twelve hundred fifty 18 dollars; provided, however, in the case of a nomination or election of a 19 state senator, [twenty] ten thousand dollars, [whichever is greater,] or 20 in the case of a nomination or election of a member of the assembly 21 [twelve] ten thousand [five hundred] dollars[, whichever is greater,] 22 but in no event shall any such maximum exceed [one hundred] ten thousand 23 dollars. 24 c. In any election for a public office to be voted on by the voters of 25 the entire state, or for nomination to any such office, no contributor 26 may make a contribution to any candidate or political committee in 27 connection with a candidate who is not a participating candidate as 28 defined in subdivision fourteen of section 14-200-a of this article, and 29 no such candidate or political committee may accept any contribution 30 from any contributor, which is in the aggregate amount greater than 31 [eighteen] ten thousand dollars, divided equally among the primary and 32 general election in an election cycle[; provided however, that the maxi- 33 mum amount which may be so contributed or accepted, in the aggregate, 34 from any candidate's child, parent, grandparent, brother and sister, and 35 the spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the case of any 36 nomination to public office an amount equivalent to the product of the 37 number of enrolled voters in the candidate's party in the state, exclud- 38 ing voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.025, and in the case of 39 any election for a public office, an amount equivalent to the product of 40 the number of registered voters in the state, excluding voters in inac- 41 tive status, multiplied by $.025]. 42 d. In any nomination or election of a candidate who is not a partic- 43 ipating candidate for state senator, ten thousand dollars, divided 44 equally among the primary and general election in an election cycle; in 45 the case of a nomination or election for member of the assembly, six 46 thousand dollars, divided equally among the primary and general election 47 in an election cycle. 48 e. [In any other election for party position or for election to a 49 public office or for nomination for any such office, no contributor may 50 make a contribution to any candidate or political committee and no 51 candidate or political committee may accept any contribution from any 52 contributor, which is in the aggregate amount greater than: (i) in the 53 case of any election for party position, or for nomination to public 54 office, the product of the total number of enrolled voters in the candi- 55 date's party in the district in which he or she is a candidate, exclud- 56 ing voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.05, and (ii) in the case
A. 5447 4 1 of any election for a public office, the product of the total number of 2 registered voters in the district, excluding voters in inactive status, 3 multiplied by $.05, however in the case of a nomination within the city 4 of New York for the office of mayor, public advocate or comptroller, 5 such amount shall be not less than four thousand dollars nor more than 6 twelve thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of living 7 adjustment described in paragraph f of this subdivision; in the case of 8 an election within the city of New York for the office of mayor, public 9 advocate or comptroller, twenty-five thousand dollars as increased or 10 decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in paragraph f of 11 this subdivision but in no event shall any such maximum exceed fifty 12 thousand dollars or be less than one thousand dollars; provided however, 13 that the maximum amount which may be so contributed or accepted, in the 14 aggregate, from any candidate's child, parent, grandparent, brother and 15 sister, and the spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the case 16 of any election for party position or nomination for public office an 17 amount equivalent to the number of enrolled voters in the candidate's 18 party in the district in which he or she is a candidate, excluding 19 voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.25 and in the case of any 20 election to public office, an amount equivalent to the number of regis- 21 tered voters in the district, excluding voters in inactive status, 22 multiplied by $.25; or twelve hundred fifty dollars, whichever is great- 23 er, but in no event shall any such maximum exceed one hundred thousand 24 dollars. 25 f.] (1) At the beginning of each fourth calendar year, commencing in 26 [nineteen hundred ninety-five] two thousand twenty-six, the state board 27 shall determine the percentage of the difference between the most recent 28 available monthly consumer price index for all urban consumers published 29 by the United States bureau of labor statistics and such consumer price 30 index published for the same month four years previously. The amount of 31 each contribution limit fixed in this subdivision shall be adjusted by 32 the amount of such percentage difference to the closest one hundred 33 dollars by the state board which, not later than the first day of Febru- 34 ary in each such year, shall issue a regulation publishing the amount of 35 each such contribution limit. Each contribution limit as so adjusted 36 shall be the contribution limit in effect for any election held before 37 the next such adjustment. 38 (2) Provided, however, that such adjustments shall not occur for 39 candidates seeking statewide office, or the position of state senator or 40 member of the assembly, whether such candidate does or does not partic- 41 ipate in the public finance program established pursuant to title two of 42 this article. 43 [g.] f. Notwithstanding any other contribution limit in this section, 44 participating candidates as defined in subdivision fourteen of section 45 14-200-a of this article may contribute, out of their own money, three 46 times the applicable contribution limit to their own authorized commit- 47 tee. 48 § 5. Subdivision 8 of section 14-114 of the election law, as amended 49 by chapter 8 of the laws of 1978 and as redesignated by chapter 9 of the 50 laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows: 51 8. a. Except as may otherwise be provided [for] by a candidate [and 52 his family] for their own campaign, no natural person may contribute, 53 loan or guarantee in excess of [one hundred fifty] ten thousand dollars 54 within the state of New York in any calendar year in connection with the 55 nomination or election of [persons to] candidates for state [and] or
A. 5447 5 1 local public offices [and] or party positions [within the state of New 2 York in any one calendar year]. 3 b. For the purposes of this subdivision "loan" or "guarantee" shall 4 mean a loan or guarantee which is not repaid or discharged in the calen- 5 dar year in which it is made. 6 § 6. Subdivision 10 of section 14-114 of the election law, as added by 7 chapter 79 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows: 8 10. a. No contributor may make a contribution to a party or consti- 9 tuted committee and no such committee may accept a contribution from any 10 contributor which, in the aggregate, is greater than [sixty-two] ten 11 thousand [five hundred] dollars per annum. 12 b. At the beginning of each fourth calendar year, commencing in [nine- 13 teen hundred ninety-five] two thousand twenty-four, the state board 14 shall determine the percentage of the difference between the most recent 15 available monthly consumer price index for all urban consumers published 16 by the United States bureau of labor statistics and such consumer price 17 index published for the same month four years previously. The amount of 18 such contribution limit fixed in paragraph a of this subdivision shall 19 be adjusted by the amount of such percentage difference to the closest 20 one hundred dollars by the state board which, not later than the first 21 day of February in each such year, shall issue a regulation publishing 22 the amount of such contribution limit. Such contribution limit as so 23 adjusted shall be the contribution limit in effect for any election held 24 before the next such adjustment. 25 § 7. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 33-a to 26 read as follows: 27 § 33-a. Directing of state funds. No member of the legislature shall 28 direct any state funds to any individual, business or corporation that 29 has, at any time during the member's candidacy for office or elected 30 term, made any contribution to any member of the legislature, statewide 31 elected official, political committee or independent expenditure commit- 32 tee as defined by section 14-100 of the election law. 33 § 8. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 204 to read 34 as follows: 35 § 204. Statewide database of all contracts awarded by the state. 1. 36 The commissioner shall establish a single statewide database of all 37 contracts awarded by the state or entity thereof and shall include ther- 38 ein information of all contracts awarded by the state or entity thereof 39 and shall include therein information related to all bids submitted in 40 response to any solicitations for such awards. 41 2. Every department, division, commission, agency, authority, board or 42 any other entity of the state shall submit all awarded contracts and 43 bids related to such contracts to the commissioner on a schedule and in 44 a format determined by the commissioner. 45 3. Such database shall be available online for public review in a 46 searchable, downloadable format. Such database shall include, but not be 47 limited to: 48 (a) descriptions of requests for proposals and contracts; 49 (b) all bids for state contracts; and 50 (c) contact information for all parties to the contract. 51 4. The commissioner shall promulgate any rules and regulations neces- 52 sary for the implementation of such database established pursuant to 53 this section and ensure the privacy of any confidential or proprietary 54 information that may be contained within a bid or contract. 55 § 9. This act shall take effect immediately.