These materials address ethics requirements for municipalities in New York State, other than New York City. Included are Article 18 of the NYS General Municipal Law, selected advisory opinions of the New York State Attorney General, and articles.
● Do I have a prohibited interest in a contract under Article 18? (link will open new window)
● Statement to Chicago Ethics Reform Task Force (in PDF)
● NY State General Municipal Law- Article 18 (Statute) (in PDF)
● Article 18 Legislative History (in PDF)
● 1964 N.Y. Laws ch. 946 Bill Jacket (in PDF)
● Article 18 Of New York's General Municipal Law (Article) (in PDF)
● Pace CLE Ethics & Article 18 Nov 2010 (in PDF)
● 1986 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 100 (No. 86-44) (in PDF)
● 1988 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 117 (No. 88-60) (in PDF)
● 1991 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1135 (No. 91-68) (in PDF)
● 1993 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1022 (No. 93-14) (in PDF)
● 1995 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1105 (No. 95-46) (in PDF)
● 1999 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1052 (No. 99-21) (in PDF)
● 1999 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1088 (No. 99-36) (in PDF)
● 2000 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1009 (No. 2000-2) (in PDF)
● 2000 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1033 (No. 2000-11) (in PDF)
● 2000 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1058 (No. 2000-22) (in PDF)
● 2002 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) 1028 (No. 2002-9) (in PDF)
● 2003 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) No. 3 (in PDF)
● 2003 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) No.8 (in PDF)
● 2008 NY Op Atty Gen (Inf) No.5 (in PDF)
● A Conflicts of Interest Checklist for Municipal Officers and Employees (in PDF)
● Applicability of the Hatch Act to Municipal Officers and Employees (in PDF)
● Brief Overview of NYC's Conflicts of Interest Board (in PDF)
● Communicating Ethics to Municipal Employees (in PDF)
● Compatibility of Office (in PDF)
● Enacting a Local Ethics Law -- Part I (in PDF)
● Enacting a Local Ethics Law -- Part II (in PDF)
● Enacting a Local Ethics Law -- Part III (in PDF)
● Enacting a Local Ethics Law -- Model Administrative Provisions (in PDF)
● Enforcement: An Indispensible Component in the Success of Municipal Ethics Boards (in PDF)
● Empowering County Ethics Boards (Article) (in PDF)
● Ethics in Gov't Act-Financial Disclosure Provisions (Article) (in PDF)
● Ethics Laws for Municipal Officials Outside NYC (Article) (in PDF)
● Ethics Laws For Municipal Officials Within NYC (Article) (in PDF)
● Ethics Tips For Drafting Advisory Opinions (in PDF)
● How Not To Draft An Ethics Law (in PDF)
● In Search of a Wise Law - Municipal Ethics Reform (in PDF)
● Keeping the Faith - A Model Local Ethics Law (Article) (in PDF)
● The Legislative History of NY State's Conflict of Interest Law for Municipal Officials (in PDF)
● Links to Municipal Codes (in PDF)
● Louis IX Ethics Law (in PDF)
● Municipalities over 50,000 (in PDF)
● Nepotism (in PDF)
● The New NYC Financial Disclosure Law (in PDF)
● Non-Article 18 Conflicts of Interest Restrictions (in PDF)
● NY Dept. of State Local Government Handbook (links to NY Dept. of State)
● NYC Financial Disclosure Report - Paper Copy (in PDF)
● NYC Electronic Financial Disclosure Application Questions (in PDF)
● Public Integrity Criminal Law for the Municipal Attorney (in PDF)
● The Obligations of Government Lawyers Under New York's New Rules of Professional Conduct (in PDF)
● Running a Municipal Ethics Board: Tips for Drafting Advisory Opinions (in PDF)
● Sample Ethics Board Forms (in PDF)
● SCOTUS Delivers Victory for Municipal Ethics (in PDF)
● Sullivan County Ethics Survey (in PDF)
● Temporary State Commission on Local Govt Ethics - Final Report (Article) (in PDF)
● Use of Municipal Resources for Personal Purposes (in PDF)
● Why We Need a New State Ethics Law for Municipal Officials (Article) (in PDF)
● Working Rules on Ethics for Zoning Boards of Appeals (Article) (in PDF)
On January 28, 2011, the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association adopted the report of a special task force on government ethics, including proposals for reform of municipal ethics in New York State. Those proposals begin on page 55 of the report, which may be found here.
A draft bill reflecting those proposals, but not approved by any organization, may be accessed by clicking on this link:
Draft Article 18 Bill.
