2825 - Membership on authorities and commissions; independence; and financial disclosure.
§ 2825. Membership on authorities and commissions; independence; and financial disclosure. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special or local law, municipal charter or ordinance: 1. No public officer or employee shall be ineligible for appointment as a trustee or member of the governing body of a state or local authority, as defined in section two of this chapter, and any public officer or employee may accept such appointment and serve as such trustee or member without forfeiture of any other public office or position of public employment by reason thereof. 2. Except for members who serve as members by virtue of holding a civil office of the state, the majority of the remaining members of the governing body of every state or local authority shall be independent members; provided, however, that this provision shall apply to appointments made on or after the effective date of chapter seven hundred sixty-six of the laws of two thousand five which added this subdivision. The official or officials having the authority to appoint or remove such remaining members shall take such actions as may be necessary to satisfy this requirement and further, shall consider the prospective diversity of the members of a state authority when making their determinations to appoint any member. For the purposes of this section, an independent member is one who: (a) is not, and in the past two years has not been, employed by the public authority or an affiliate in an executive capacity; (b) is not, and in the past two years has not been, employed by an entity that received remuneration valued at more than fifteen thousand dollars for goods and services provided to the public authority or received any other form of financial assistance valued at more than fifteen thousand dollars from the public authority; (c) is not a relative of an executive officer or employee in an executive position of the public authority or an affiliate; and (d) is not, and in the past two years has not been, a lobbyist registered under a state or local law and paid by a client to influence the management decisions, contract awards, rate determinations or any other similar actions of the public authority or an affiliate. 3. Notwithstanding any other provision of any general, special or local law, municipal charter or ordinance to the contrary, board members, officers, and employees of a state authority shall file annual financial disclosure statements as required by section seventy-three-a of the public officers law. Board members, officers, and employees of a local public authority shall file annual financial disclosure statements with the county board of ethics for the county in which the local public authority has its primary office pursuant to article eighteen of the general municipal law.