Sanford Neil Berland

The Legislative Committee reviewed the status of the 2026 Legislative Agenda and proposed a new rulemaking to adopt 19 NYCRR Part 940 regarding sexual harassment as a violation of the Public Officers Law. Discussions were held on developing an expedited process for resolving less complex enforcement complaints without requiring a full hearing. Additionally, the Committee reviewed and declined a proposal to amend Executive Law Section 94(4) concerning the Commission's voting requirements.

The committee discussed a proposed three-year strategic plan for the education and training unit. Key discussion topics included the challenges in scaling the training program to meet statutory requirements, efforts to improve data collection and reporting, the need for enhanced communication with state agencies, and strategies to increase participation. The committee reviewed the use of the Kirkpatrick model to assess the quality of training and explored future methods for measuring the impact of training on workforce behavior and performance. Additionally, the committee addressed the administrative burden on agencies and discussed automating reminders and scheduling to improve compliance and resource utilization.

The meeting included an operations update from staff regarding guidance volume, lobbying application automation, and financial disclosure training requirements. The Commission discussed fiscal year budget reports, potential legislative amendments to the Lobbying Act regarding registration fees and training cycles, and the impact of budgetary constraints on agency vacancies and technology upgrades. Reports were provided by the Education and Legislation Committees regarding 2026 ethics training goals and progress on legislative proposals. Additionally, the Commission authorized a proposed rulemaking concerning outside activity restrictions and approval procedures and held an executive session to address litigation, personnel, and enforcement matters.

The Commission discussed operational updates including open and pending matters, advice and guidance volume, and financial disclosure filings. Staffing updates were provided, along with a report on fiscal year expenditures. The Education Committee addressed the status of ethics training compliance for state employees, identifying challenges with academic and executive branch agency participation, and discussed strategies to improve training outreach and utilization of available resources.

The Commission reviewed operational statistics, discussed fiscal year budget updates including potential funding reductions, and addressed lobbying registration fees and data system upgrades. Staffing updates regarding vacancies and internal controls were provided, alongside a proposal for live training for the executive branch. Additionally, the Commission discussed a proposed legislative agenda item regarding majority voting and concluded with an executive session addressing litigation, personnel matters, and investigative actions.