Bill A10512 Summary

• Expands the definition of "interest" in conflicts of interest rules to include the spouse of a municipal officer or employee, and applies conflict prohibitions to legal service contracts unless awarded through competitive procurement with independent counsel advice.

• Requires every county, city, town, village with 50,000+ population, and BOCES to establish a board of ethics; authorizes smaller municipalities to establish boards individually or cooperatively, with county/BOCES boards serving as default for those without their own.

• Mandates boards of ethics to investigate potential violations, conduct adjudicatory proceedings with due process protections, and issue reprimands, civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation, or disciplinary recommendations; makes final determinations publicly available.

• Requires biennial review of municipal codes of ethics and permits local codes to prohibit activities expressly permitted by state law; mandates distribution of ethics codes to all officers, employees, and posting on municipal websites with written acknowledgment of receipt.

• Repeals the Temporary State Commission on Local Government Ethics and transfers its functions to local and county boards of ethics; requires board members to complete state comptroller-approved training within 270 days of appointment.