US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

 
    §  1061.  Commission on public information and communication. a. There
  shall be a commission on  public  information  and  communication  which
  shall  consist of the public advocate, as chair, the corporation counsel
  or the delegate of such officer,  the  director  of  operations  or  the
  delegate  of such officer, the commissioner of the department of records
  and  information  services  or  the  delegate  of  such   officer,   the
  commissioner  of  information  technology  and telecommunications or the
  delegate of such officer, the president of the WNYC communications group
  or the delegate of such officer, and one council member elected  by  the
  council,  all  of whom shall serve on the board without compensation. In
  addition, there shall be  four  other  members,  each  appointed  for  a
  four-year  term,  who  shall  not hold or seek public or political party
  office  or  be  public  employees  in  any  jurisdiction,   except   the
  representative  of  the  community  board  as  set  forth  herein, to be
  appointed as follows: two by the mayor, one of whom is  or  has  been  a
  representative  of the news media and one of whom shall be a member of a
  community board; one by the public advocate;  and  one  by  the  borough
  presidents  acting  as  a  group.  Such members shall receive a per diem
  compensation for  each  calendar  day  they  perform  the  work  of  the
  commission.  No  such  members shall serve for more than two consecutive
  four-year terms. All initial appointments shall be made by the first day
  of March, nineteen hundred ninety.
    b. Members may be removed by the mayor  for  cause  after  notice  and
  opportunity to be heard. Members shall serve until their successors have
  been appointed.
    c.  The  commission  shall  appoint  an  executive director, a general
  counsel and such other  officers,  employees,  and  consultants  as  are
  necessary   to  fulfill  its  duties,  within  appropriations  available
  therefor.
    d. The commission shall: (1) undertake, by itself, or  in  cooperation
  with  other  entities,  activities  to  educate  the  public  about  the
  availability and potential usefulness of  city  produced  or  maintained
  information   and   assist  the  public  in  obtaining  access  to  such
  information;
    (2) review (i)  all  city  information  policies,  including  but  not
  limited  to,  policies  regarding  public  access  to  city  produced or
  maintained information, particularly, computerized information; (ii) the
  quality, structure, and costs to the public of such  information;  (iii)
  agency   compliance  with  the  various  notice,  comment,  and  hearing
  provisions of the charter and other laws applicable  to  city  agencies;
  and (iv) the usefulness and availability of city documents, reports, and
  publications;
    (3)  assist  city  agencies  in  facilitating  public  access to their
  meetings, transcripts,  records,  and  other  information,  and  monitor
  agency  compliance  with  the  provisions of the charter, and other laws
  which require such public access;
    (4) hold at least one public hearing each  year  on  city  information
  policies   and   issue   at   least  one  report  each  year  with  such
  recommendations as the commission deems advisable;
    (5) on the request of any member of the public, elected  official,  or
  city agency, render advisory opinions regarding the application of those
  provisions  of  the charter or other laws which require public access to
  meetings, transcripts, records  and  other  information.  Such  advisory
  opinions  shall  be  indexed  by  subject  matter  and  maintained  on a
  cumulative basis;
    (6)  make  recommendations  regarding:  (i)  the  application  of  new
  communications  technology  to improve public access to city produced or
  maintained information; (ii) the  distribution  of  information  to  the

  public  about  the purposes and locations of the city's service delivery
  facilities; and (iii) programming for the municipal cable  channels  and
  broadcasting system.