Section 1-C - DefinitionsAs used in this article unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) The term "lobbyist" shall mean every person or organization retained, employed or designated by any client to engage in lobbying. The term "lobbyist" shall not include any officer, director, trustee, employee, counsel or agent of the state, or any municipality or subdivision thereof of New York when discharging their official duties; except those officers, directors, trustees, employees, counsels, or agents of colleges, as defined by section two of the education law.(i) Any individual who stands convicted of a felony defined in article two hundred or four hundred ninety-six or section 195.20 of the penal law may not be retained, employed or designated by any client to engage in lobbying for compensation.(ii) Any individual who stands convicted of a misdemeanor defined in article two hundred, article four hundred ninety-six, section 195.00 or an attempt to commit a violation of section 195.20 of the penal law may not be retained, employed or designated by any client to engage in lobbying for compensation for a period of five years from the date of conviction, provided that in the event such conviction is the result of a plea agreement resulting in a plea to such charge in lieu of a plea or conviction of a felony defined in section 195.20, article two hundred or article four hundred ninety-six of the penal law, all parties to such agreement may agree that the period of such bar may be for a period of up to ten years from the date of conviction.(b) The term "client" shall mean every person or organization who retains, employs or designates any person or organization to carry on lobbying activities on behalf of such client.(c) The term "lobbying" or "lobbying activities" shall mean and include any attempt to influence:(i) the passage or defeat of any legislation or resolution by either house of the state legislature including but not limited to the introduction or intended introduction of such legislation or resolution or approval or disapproval of any legislation by the governor;(ii) the adoption, issuance, rescission, modification or terms of a gubernatorial executive order;(iii) the adoption or rejection of any rule or regulation having the force and effect of law by a state agency;(iv) the outcome of any rate making proceeding by a state agency;(v) any determination: (A) by a public official, or by a person or entity working in cooperation with a public official related to a governmental procurement, or (B) by an officer or employee of the unified court system, or by a person or entity working in cooperation with an officer or employee of the unified court system related to a governmental procurement; (vi) the approval, disapproval, implementation or administration of tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding, or any other tribal-state agreements and any other state actions related to Class III gaming as provided in 25 U.S.C. § 2701, except to the extent designation of such activities as "lobbying" is barred by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, by a public official or by a person or entity working in cooperation with a public official in relation to such approval, disapproval, implementation or administration;(vii) the passage or defeat of any local law, ordinance, resolution, or regulation by any municipality or subdivision thereof;(viii) the adoption, issuance, rescission, modification or terms of an executive order issued by the chief executive officer of a municipality;(ix) the adoption or rejection of any rule, regulation, or resolution having the force and effect of a local law, ordinance, resolution, or regulation; or(x) the outcome of any rate making proceeding by any municipality or subdivision thereof. The term "lobbying" shall not include:
(A) Persons engaged in drafting, advising clients on or rendering opinions on proposed legislation, rules, regulations or rates, municipal ordinances and resolutions, executive orders, procurement contracts, or tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding, or any other tribal-state agreements or other written materials related to Class III gaming as provided in 25 U.S.C. § 2701, when such professional services are not otherwise connected with state or municipal legislative or executive action on such legislation, rules, regulations or rates, municipal ordinances and resolutions, executive orders, procurement contracts, or tribal-state compacts, memoranda of understanding, or any other tribal-state agreements or other written materials related to Class III gaming as provided in 25 U.S.C. § 2701;(B)(i) Newspapers and other periodicals and radio and television stations, and owners and employees thereof, provided that their activities in connection with proposed legislation, rules, regulations or rates, municipal ordinances and resolutions, executive orders, tribalstate compacts, memoranda of understanding or other tribal-state agreements related to Class III gaming as provided in 25 U.S.C. § 2701, or procurement contracts by a state agency, municipal agency, local legislative body, the state legislature, or the unified court system, are limited to the publication or broadcast of news items, editorials or other comments, or paid advertisements;(ii) Communications with a professional journalist, or newscaster, including an editorial board or editorial writer of a newspaper, magazine, news agency, press association or wire service, relating to news, as these terms are defined in section seventy-nine-h of the civil rights law, and communications relating to confidential and non-confidential news as described in subdivisions (b) and (c) of section seventy-nine-h of the civil rights law respectively and communications made pursuant to community outreach efforts for broadcast stations required by federal law.(C) Persons who participate as witnesses, attorneys or other representatives in public proceedings of a state or municipal agency with respect to all participation by such persons which is part of the public record thereof and all preparation by such persons for such participation;(D) Persons who attempt to influence a state or municipal agency in an adjudicatory proceeding, as "adjudicatory proceeding" is defined by section one hundred two of the state administrative procedure act;(E) Persons who prepare or submit a response to a request for information or comments by the state legislature, the governor, or a state agency or a committee or officer of the legislature or a state agency, or by the unified court system, or by a legislative or executive body or officer of a municipality or a commission, committee or officer of a municipal legislative or executive body;(F) Any attempt by a church, its integrated auxiliary, or a convention or association of churches that is exempt from filing a federal income tax return under paragraph 2(A)(i) of section 6033(a) of Title 26 of the United States Code or a religious order that is exempt from filing a federal income tax return under paragraph (2)(A)(iii) of such section 6033(a) to influence passage or defeat of a local law, ordinance, resolution or regulation or any rule or regulation having the force and effect of a local law, ordinance or regulation;(G) Any activity relating to governmental procurements made under section one hundred sixty-two of the state finance law undertaken by (i) the non-profit-making agencies appointed pursuant to paragraph e of subdivision six of section one hundred sixty-two of the state finance law by the commissioner of the office of children and family services, the commission for the blind , or the commissioner of education, and (ii) the qualified charitable non-profit-making agencies for the blind, and qualified charitable non-profit-making agencies for other severely disabled persons as identified in subdivision two of section one hundred sixty-two of the state finance law; provided, however, that any attempt to influence the issuance or terms of the specifications that serve as the basis for bid documents, requests for proposals, invitations for bids, or solicitations of proposals, or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract with a state agency, the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body shall not be exempt from the definition of "lobbying" or "lobbying activities" under this subparagraph;(H) Participants, including those appearing on behalf of a client, in a conference provided for in a request for proposals, invitation for bids, or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract;(I) Offerers who have been tentatively awarded a contract and are engaged in communications with a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body solely for the purpose of negotiating the terms of the procurement contract after being notified of such award or, when a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body is purchasing an article of procurement pursuant to an existing state procurement contract, offerers who are engaged in communications with the procuring entity solely for the purpose of negotiating terms applicable to that purchase; or persons who currently hold a franchise and who are engaged in negotiating the terms of a tentative franchise renewal contract with a municipality, but such negotiations, which do not constitute lobbying, do not include communications to the local legislative body that must approve the contract;(J)(i) Offerers or other persons who are a party to a protest, appeal or other review proceeding (including the apparent successful bidder or proposer and his or her representatives) before the governmental entity conducting the procurement seeking a final administrative determination, or in a subsequent judicial proceeding; or(ii) Offerers or other persons who bring complaints of alleged improper conduct in a governmental procurement to the attorney general, inspector general, district attorney, or court of competent jurisdiction; or(iii) Offerers or other persons who submit written protests, appeals or complaints to the state comptroller's office during the process of contract approval, where the state comptroller's approval is required by law, and where such communications and any responses thereto are made in writing and shall be entered in the procurement record pursuant to section one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law; or(iv) Offerers or other persons who bring complaints of alleged improper conduct in a governmental procurement conducted by a municipal agency or local legislative body to the state comptroller's office; provided, however, that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as recognizing or creating any new rights, duties or responsibilities or abrogating any existing rights, duties or responsibilities of any governmental entity as it pertains to implementation and enforcement of article eleven of the state finance law or any other provision of law dealing with the governmental procurement process;
(K) The submission of a bid or proposal (whether submitted orally, in writing or electronically) in response to a request for proposals, invitation for bids or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract;(L) Offerers submitting written questions to a designated contact of a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body set forth in a request for proposals, or invitation for bids or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract, when all written questions and responses are to be disseminated to all offerers who have expressed an interest in the request for proposals, or invitation for bids, or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract;(M) Contacts during governmental procurements between designated staff of a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body involved in governmental procurements and officers or employees of bidders or potential bidders, or officers or employees of subcontractors of bidders or potential bidders, who are charged with the performance of functions relating to contracts and who are qualified by education, training or experience to provide technical services to explain, clarify or demonstrate the qualities, characteristics or advantages of an article of procurement. Such authorized contacts shall: (i) be limited to providing information to the staff of a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency and local legislative body to assist them in understanding and assessing the qualities, characteristics or anticipated performance of an article of procurement; (ii) not include any recommendations or advocate any contract provisions; and (iii) occur only at such times and in such manner as authorized under the procuring entity's solicitation or guidelines and procedures. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "technical services" shall be limited to analysis directly applying any accounting, engineering, scientific, or other similar technical disciplines; (N) Applications for licenses, certificates, and permits authorized by statutes or local laws or ordinances;(O) The activities of persons who are commission salespersons with respect to governmental procurements;(P) Communications made by an officer or employee of the offerer after the award of the procurement contract when such communications are in the ordinary course of providing the article of procurement provided by the procurement contract and in the ordinary course of the assigned duties of the officer or employee; provided, however, that nothing herein shall exempt: (i) an officer or employee whose primary purpose of employment is to engage in lobbying activities with regard to governmental procurements, or (ii) an agent or independent contractor hired by an offerer and whose primary duty is to engage in lobbying activities with regard to governmental procurements; and (Q) Persons who communicate with public officials where such communications are limited to obtaining factual information related to benefits or incentives offered by a state or municipal agency and where such communications do not include any recommendations or advocate governmental action or contract provisions, and further where such communications are not otherwise connected with pending legislative or executive action or determinations; provided, however, that any person who is otherwise required to file a statement or report pursuant to this article by virtue of engaging in lobbying activities as defined in this section shall not be deemed to fall within the exception provided for under this paragraph.(d) The term "organization" shall mean any corporation, company, foundation, association, college as defined by section two of the education law, labor organization, firm, partnership, society, joint stock company, state agency or public corporation.(e) The term "state agency" shall mean any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, committee or officer of the state, whether permanent or temporary, or a public benefit corporation or public authority at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor, authorized by law to make rules or to make final decisions in adjudicatory proceedings but shall not include the judicial branch or agencies created by interstate compact or international agreement.(g) The term "expense" or "expenses" shall mean any expenditures incurred by or reimbursed to the lobbyist for lobbying but shall not include contributions reportable pursuant to article fourteen of the election law.(h) The term "compensation" shall mean any salary, fee, gift, payment, benefit, loan, advance or any other thing of value paid, owed, given or promised to the lobbyist by the client for lobbying but shall not include contributions reportable pursuant to article fourteen of the election law.(i) The term "public corporation" shall mean a municipal corporation, a district corporation, or a public benefit corporation as defined in section sixty-six of the general construction law.(j) The term "gift" shall mean anything of more than nominal value given to a public official in any form including, but not limited to money, service, loan, travel, lodging, meals, refreshments, entertainment, discount, forbearance, or promise, having a monetary value. The following are excluded from the definition of a gift: (i) complimentary attendance, including food and beverage, at bona fide charitable or political events;(ii) complimentary attendance, food and beverage offered by the sponsor of a widely attended event. The term "widely attended event" shall mean an event: (A) which at least twenty-five individuals other than members, officers, or employees from the governmental entity in which the public official serves attend or were, in good faith, invited to attend, and (B) which is related to the attendee's duties or responsibilities or which allows the public official to perform a ceremonial function appropriate to his or her position. For the purposes of this exclusion, a public official's duties or responsibilities shall include but not be limited to either (1) attending an event or a meeting at which a speaker or attendee addresses an issue of public interest or concern as a significant activity at such event or meeting; or (2) for elected public officials, or their staff attending with or on behalf of such elected officials, attending an event or a meeting at which more than one-half of the attendees, or persons invited in good faith to attend, are residents of the county, district or jurisdiction from which the elected public official was elected; (iii) awards, plaques, and other ceremonial items which are publicly presented, or intended to be publicly presented, in recognition of public service, provided that the item or items are of the type customarily bestowed at such or similar ceremonies and are otherwise reasonable under the circumstances, and further provided that the functionality of such items shall not determine whether such items are permitted under this paragraph;(iv) an honorary degree bestowed upon a public official by a public or private college or university;(v) promotional items having no substantial resale value such as pens, mugs, calendars, hats, and t-shirts which bear an organization's name, logo, or message in a manner which promotes the organization's cause;(vi) goods and services, or discounts for goods and services, offered to the general public or a segment of the general public defined on a basis other than status as a public official and offered on the same terms and conditions as the goods or services are offered to the general public or segment thereof;(vii) gifts from a family member, member of the same household, or person with a personal relationship with the public official, including invitations to attend personal or family social events, when the circumstances establish that it is the family, household, or personal relationship that is the primary motivating factor; in determining motivation, the following factors shall be among those considered: (A) the history and nature of the relationship between the donor and the recipient, including whether or not items have previously been exchanged; (B) whether the item was purchased by the donor; and (C) whether or not the donor at the same time gave similar items to other public officials; the transfer shall not be considered to be motivated by a family, household, or personal relationship if the donor seeks to charge or deduct the value of such item as a business expense or seeks reimbursement from a client; (viii) contributions reportable under article fourteen of the election law, including contributions made in violation of that article of the election law;(ix) travel reimbursement or payment for transportation, meals and accommodations for an attendee, panelist or speaker at an informational event or informational meeting when such reimbursement or payment is made by a governmental entity or by an in-state accredited public or private institution of higher education that hosts the event on its campus, provided, however, that the public official may only accept lodging from an institution of higher education: (A) at a location on or within close proximity to the host campus; and (B) for the night preceding and the nights of the days on which the attendee, panelist or speaker actually attends the event or meeting; (x) provision of local transportation to inspect or tour facilities, operations or property located in New York state, provided, however, that such inspection or tour is related to the individual's official duties or responsibilities and that payment or reimbursement for expenses for lodging or travel expenses to and from the locality where such facilities, operations or property are located shall be considered to be gifts unless otherwise permitted under this subdivision;(xi) meals or refreshments when participating in a professional or educational program and the meals or refreshments are provided to all participants; and(xii) food or beverage valued at fifteen dollars or less.(k) The term "municipality" shall mean any jurisdictional subdivision of the state, including but not limited to counties, cities, towns, villages, improvement districts and special districts, with a population of more than five thousand, and industrial development agencies in jurisdictional subdivisions with a population of more than five thousand; and public authorities, and public corporations.(l) The term "public official" shall mean: (i) the governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller or attorney general;(ii) members of the state legislature;(iii) state officers and employees including:(A) heads of state departments and their deputies and assistants other than members of the board of regents of the university of the state of New York who receive no compensation or are compensated on a per diem basis,(B) officers and employees of statewide elected officials,(C) officers and employees of state departments, boards, bureaus, divisions, commissions, councils or other state agencies,(D) members or directors of public authorities, other than multi-state authorities, public benefit corporations and commissions at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor, and employees of such authorities, corporations and commissions;(iv) officers and employees of the legislature; and(v) municipal officers and employees including an officer or employee of a municipality, whether paid or unpaid, including members of any administrative board, commission or other agency thereof and in the case of a county, shall be deemed to also include any officer or employee paid from county funds. No person shall be deemed to be a municipal officer or employee solely by reason of being a volunteer firefighter or civil defense volunteer, except a fire chief or assistant fire chief.(m) The term "restricted period" shall mean the period of time commencing with the earliest written notice, advertisement or solicitation of a request for proposal, invitation for bids, or solicitation of proposals, or any other method for soliciting a response from offerers intending to result in a procurement contract with a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, or a municipal agency, as that term is defined by paragraph (ii) of subdivision (s) of this section, and ending with the final contract award and approval by the state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, or a municipal agency, as that term is defined by paragraph (ii) of subdivision (s) of this section, and, where applicable, the state comptroller.(n) The term "revenue contract" shall mean any written agreement between a state or municipal agency or a local legislative body and an offerer whereby the state or municipal agency or local legislative body gives or grants a concession or a franchise.(o) The term "article of procurement" shall mean a commodity, service, technology, public work, construction, revenue contract, the purchase, sale or lease of real property or an acquisition or granting of other interest in real property, that is the subject of a governmental procurement.(p) The term "governmental procurement" shall mean: (i) the public announcement, public notice, or public communication to any potential vendor of a determination of need for a procurement, which shall include, but not be limited to, the public notification of the specifications, bid documents, request for proposals, or evaluation criteria for a procurement contract, (ii) solicitation for a procurement contract, (iii) evaluation of a procurement contract, (iv) award, approval, denial or disapproval of a procurement contract, or (v) approval or denial of an assignment, amendment (other than amendments that are authorized and payable under the terms of the procurement contract as it was finally awarded or approved by the comptroller, as applicable), renewal or extension of a procurement contract, or any other material change in the procurement contract resulting in a financial benefit to the offerer. (q) The term "offerer" shall mean the individual or entity, or any employee, agent or consultant of such individual or entity, that contacts a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body about a governmental procurement provided, however, that a governmental agency or its employees that communicate with the procuring agency regarding a governmental procurement in the exercise of its oversight duties shall not be considered an offerer.(r) The term "procurement contract" shall mean any contract or other agreement, including an amendment, extension, renewal, or change order to an existing contract (other than amendments, extensions, renewals, or change orders that are authorized and payable under the terms of the contract as it was finally awarded or approved by the comptroller, as applicable), for an article of procurement involving an estimated annualized expenditure in excess of fifteen thousand dollars. Grants, article XI-B state finance law contracts, program contracts between not-for-profit organizations, as defined in article XI-B of the state finance law, and the unified court system, intergovernmental agreements, railroad and utility force accounts, utility relocation project agreements or orders, contracts governing organ transplants, contracts allowing for state participation in trade shows, and eminent domain transactions shall not be deemed procurement contracts.(s) The term "municipal agency" shall mean: (i) any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, committee or officer of a municipality, whether permanent or temporary; or (ii) an industrial development agency, located in a jurisdictional subdivision of the state with a population of more than fifty thousand, or local public benefit corporation, as that term is defined in section sixty-six of the general construction law. (t) The term "local legislative body" shall mean the board of supervisors, board of aldermen, common council, council, commission, town board, board of trustees or other elective governing board or body of a municipality now or hereafter vested by state statute, charter or other law with jurisdiction to initiate and adopt local laws , ordinances and budgets, whether or not such local laws , ordinances or budgets require approval of the elective chief executive officer or other official or body to become effective.(u) The term "commission salesperson" shall mean any person the primary purpose of whose employment is to cause or promote the sale of, or to influence or induce another to make a purchase of an article of procurement, whether such person is an employee (as that term is defined for tax purposes) of or an independent contractor for a vendor, provided that an independent contractor shall have a written contract for a term of not less than six months or for an indefinite term, and which person shall be compensated, in whole or in part, by the payment of a percentage amount of all or a substantial part of the sales which such person has caused, promoted, influenced or induced, provided, however, that no person shall be considered a commission salesperson with respect to any sale to or purchase by a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body if the percentage amount of any commission payable with respect to such sale or purchase is substantially in excess of any commission payable with respect to any comparable sale to a purchaser that is not a state agency, either house of the state legislature, the unified court system, a municipal agency or local legislative body; further, provided, however, that any person that is required to file a statement or report pursuant to this article by virtue of engaging in lobbying activities as defined in paragraphs (i) through (iv) and (vi) through (x) of subdivision (c) of this section shall not be deemed to be a "commission salesperson" for purposes of this article.(v) The term "unified court system" shall, for the purposes of this article only, mean the unified court system of the state of New York, or the office of court administration, where appropriate, other than town and village justice courts in jurisdictions with a population under fifty thousand, when it acts solely in an administrative capacity to engage in governmental procurements and shall not include the unified court system or any court of the state judiciary when it acts to hear and decide cases of original or appellate jurisdiction or otherwise acts in its judicial, as opposed to administrative, capacity.(w) The term "reportable business relationship" shall mean a relationship in which compensation is paid by a lobbyist or by a client of a lobbyist, in exchange for any goods, services or anything of value, the total value of which is in excess of one thousand dollars annually, to be performed or provided by or intended to be performed or provided by (i) any statewide elected official, state officer, state employee, member of the legislature or legislative employee, or (ii) any entity in which the lobbyist or the client of a lobbyist knows or has reason to know the statewide elected official, state officer, state employee, member of the legislature or legislative employee is a proprietor, partner, director, officer or manager, or owns or controls ten percent or more of the stock of such entity (or one percent in the case of a corporation whose stock is regularly traded on an established securities exchange).Amended by New York Laws 2022, ch. 56,Sec. QQ-3, eff. 7/8/2022.Amended by New York Laws 2018, ch. 476,Sec. 6, eff. 12/28/2018.Amended by New York Laws 2016, ch. 286,Sec. I-1, eff. 8/24/2016.Amended by New York Laws 2015, ch. 56,Sec. CC-6, eff. 4/13/2015.Amended by New York Laws 2014, ch. 55,Sec. H-A-29, eff. 4/30/2014.Amended by New York Laws 2013, ch. 265,Sec. 13, eff. 7/31/2013.