* § 203-b. Additional duties of the commissioner regarding information on state boards. 1. As used in this section, "commissioner" means the commissioner of general services and, "board" means any board, commission, committee, council, task force or any similar state public organization, required to be established pursuant to the state constitution, state statutes or executive order, for the exercise of any function of state government and to which members are appointed or elected. "Board" does not include:
a. any informal advisory organization not established by law;
b. any joint standing committee of the legislature or any committee of the assembly and/or senate composed entirely of members of the legislature;
c. any court;
d. the board of trustees of any institution of higher education financially supported in whole or in part by the state;
e. any entity of local government;
f. any public authority or public benefit corporation, a majority of whose members are appointed by the governor or serve as members by virtue of holding state offices to which they were appointed by the governor, or any combination thereof; and
g. any board of elections.
2. The commissioner shall maintain a list of all state boards, including state boards deemed active and regularly meeting on and after the effective date of this section. The commissioner shall keep such list on a website designated by the commissioner for the purpose of public access, and such list shall have a link to the website for each such board established pursuant to subdivision three of this section. The designated website shall be updated annually.
3. Each board or the state agency that provides administrative support or is otherwise affiliated with a board shall establish and maintain a website available to the public and provide a link to such website to the commissioner. Each board or the state agency that provides administrative support or is otherwise affiliated with a board shall annually on or before January first, update the information on its website.
4. The website established by each board or the state agency that provides administrative support or is otherwise affiliated with a board shall include, but not be limited to:
a. statutory language, executive order or other legal basis or authorization for the establishment of such board;
b. public information including departmental affiliation, contact address, phone number, and website;
c. a brief description of the purpose of the board and its legally required duties, including required reports or other products;
d. the size of board membership, current member names, and any qualifications;
e. whether members of a board are eligible for payment of expenses or other compensation in the performance of their duties as members of such board and information on compensation and expenses incurred in the prior and current fiscal years, as well as projected costs for the coming fiscal year;
f. meeting minutes and agendas, dates and locations of all meetings held, and to be held within six months, or a location, including but not limited to another website, in which such information can be publicly accessed;
g. geographic and other relevant qualifications of all current members of the board, including the county in which the member resides and the background or expertise the member possesses where such background or expertise is required for membership on such board; and
h. any other information the commissioner may require. Nothing in this section shall authorize the release or publication of any board member's residential address.
5. Each board or the state agency that provides administrative support or is otherwise affiliated with a board shall update on an annual basis beginning November first, two thousand twenty-three on its website, all vacancies, expired terms, terms expiring within one year, and the process for filling such vacancies on such boards.
6. On or before January first, two thousand twenty-four, the commissioner shall report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the chair of the assembly oversight, analysis and investigation committee and the chair of the senate investigations and government operations committee on the status of the list including but not limited to the number of boards reported and verified. The commissioner shall also report on any impediments to obtaining information.
* NB Effective November 1, 2023
