Assembly Committee to Hold Public Hearing on New SBOE Compliance Unit

The Assembly Election Law Committee is holding a public hearing on Friday, Dec. 12, “to examine the implementation and operations of the new compliance unit created within the State Board of Election in the SFY 2014-15 State Budget.”

According to the hearing notice, the State Board of Election’s compliance unit “was created based on a recognition that most candidates and elected officials who fail to file proper disclosures, or file inaccurate information, do so by mistake rather than out of a desire to evade the law.” The function of the compliance unit is to help candidates and their treasurers to meet the requirements and the Election Law, and to correct errors to avoid the need for enforcement actions.

This hearing will consider whether the compliance unit has improved compliance, whether gaps continue to exist, and what else can be done to make Election Law compliance more efficient. The committee is also seeking testimony regarding “what is being done on the local level to enhance compliance with the election law reporting requirements.”