Government Affairs Council
Update
December
30, 2005
2006
Meeting Dates for Government
Affairs Council
The full Government Affairs
Council will meet on the following
dates in 2006, at 10:00
a.m., at TBC headquarters
January 17 (Legislative
Reception at night)
February 13
March 20
April 10
May 15 (Annual Dinner at night)
June 12
September 22 (Annual Meeting, Sagamore Resort,
9:00 a.m.)
Procurement
Lobbying Act Takes Effect 1/1/06
Staff Contact: Ken
Pokalsky
As a reminder, new requirements
and restrictions on "procurement
lobbying," adopted during the
2005 legislative session, take
effect on the first of the
year. (See Chapter 1, Laws
of 2005):
The law has two key
components:
- The state's Lobbying Act
will be applicable to "procurement
lobbying," which is broadly
defined in statute as any
attempt to influence procurement
decisions by state-level
and certain local government
entities. Businesses and
individuals engaged in "procurement
lobbying" may be required
to register and file reports
with the State Lobbying Commission
if their annual lobbying
expenditures or income exceed
$5,000. The NYS Temporary
Commission on Lobbying has
posted draft compliance guidelines
on its web site at: www.nylobby.state.ny.us/draftguidelines.html
- The State Finance Law also
imposes new restrictions
on procurement lobbying.
Most importantly, it will
impose "restricted periods" --
from the first public announcement
of a procurement to final
contract award -- during
which vendors may only contact
designated agency representatives
(with limited exceptions.)
The NYS Office of General
Services has posted guidance
in a "frequently asked questions" format
on its web site that helps
explain the new State Finance
Law provisions and restrictions. www.ogs.state.ny.us/aboutogs/regulations/advisoryCouncil/Faq.htm The
OGS also lists the following
phone number and email address
to contact for additional
information.
Email: public.information@ogs.state.ny.us
Phone (518) 474-5607
As illustrated in these guidance
documents, this is a complex
law and many specific compliance
issues are still being assessed
by the implementing agencies.
Please feel free to contact
us with any specific comments,
questions or concerns you may
have, and we will continue
to provide updates as additional
or update state guidance becomes
available.
Events
for 2006
For information on any of
our events, contact Anna
DeLisle in the Conference
Development Department or call
1-800-358-1202.
2006 Annual Legislators’ Reception
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Crowne Plaza, Albany
The Business Council will
kick off the 2006 legislative
session with our Annual Legislators’ Reception,
at the Crowne Plaza Albany
on Tuesday, January 17, 2006,
from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. The Reception
has become a “must attend” event
for business people across
New York State. Online registration
will be available soon for
this event. We are offering
multi-level sponsorships to
our members to encourage broad
participation in this event.
We will prominently display
signs recognizing all of our
sponsors, as well as listing
them in our program for the
evening.
The sponsorship levels include:
Platinum $2,500
Gold $2,000
Silver $1,500
Patron $1,000
2nd Annual Homeland
Security Conference
Wednesday, January
18, 2006
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Crowne Plaza, Albany
