Monthly Archives: August 2016

The NYS Committee on Open Government has formally reaffirmed that public records compiled in the normal course of government activity have to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Law, even if those records are later the subjects of an ongoing criminal investigation. The Albany Times Union requested an advisory opinion after the state’s Homes and Community Renewal agency […]

Sometime after midnight on the last day of the legislative session — with zero public hearings, public review or consultation — Governor Cuomo rammed through a bill that includes very vague and very broad new reporting requirements for charitable groups which engage in lobbying or coordination with related charitable groups. The bill, A.10742 is opposed […]

Reinvent Albany has worked hard to get NY State and NYC government to open up their data for public use. We think opening government data is one of the most promising new ways to open up government generally and increase accountability to the public. Open data is a new concept and the specifics of how […]

Every state in the U.S. — including New York — has an elected comptroller with a large professional staff of auditors and accountants. The Comptrollers job is to make sure that the governor and state agencies are spending tax dollars according to what the budget says, and that those funds are not stolen or wasted. […]