Signs of Project Sunlight

The Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011 included language establishing the Project Sunlight database (read my prior post on it here). That law became effective on January 1, 2013.

In a nutshell, state employees (including those employed by SUNY and CUNY and many  public authorities) are required to report appearances by individuals or firms that are intended to influence the agency’s decision-making process. All such appearances must be reported to the Office of General Services (OGS) within five days of its occurrence.

Earlier this year, OGS issued an RFP for “IT Services to Develop a Web-Based Application (Project Sunlight)” to carry out its responsibilities under the law (Part A, § 4 of Chapter 399):

The office of general services shall create forms upon which such information shall be supplied and a database which shall collect and systemize the collection of such information. The office of general services shall make the database available and accessible to members of the public on a webpage subject to statutory confidentiality restrictions, and shall ensure that the information contained in the database is readily searchable and available for download. The database shall be known as “project sunlight”.

While there are indications that state agencies have begun to fulfill their responsibilities under the new law, OGS has not yet launched the publicly accessible part of the Project Sunlight database.

Read the Project Sunlight FAQ (via SUNY), which was prepared by the Governor’s Counsel’s Office.