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The New York City Administrative Code
§ 3-224 through § 3-228
Lobbyist Gift Law

 

§ 3-224. Definitions.

Whenever used in this subchapter, the term “public servant” shall mean a public servant as defined in subdivision nineteen of section two thousand six hundred one of the charter.

§ 3-225. Prohibition of gifts.

No person required to be listed on a statement of registration pursuant to section 3- 213(c)(1) of subchapter 2 of this chapter shall offer or give a gift to any public servant.

§ 3-226. Enforcement.

Complaints alleging violations of this subchapter shall be made, received, investigated and adjudicated in a manner consistent with investigations and adjudications of conflicts of interest pursuant to chapters sixty-eight and thirty-four of the charter.

§ 3-227. Penalties.

Any person required to be listed on the statement of registration pursuant to section 3- 213(c)(1) that knowingly and willfully violates any provision of this subchapter shall be subject to a civil penalty, which for the first offense shall be not less than two thousand five hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars, for the second offense not less than five thousand dollars and not more than fifteen thousand dollars, and for the third and subsequent offenses not less than fifteen thousand dollars and not more than thirty thousand dollars. In addition to such civil penalties, for the second and subsequent offenses a person required to be listed on the statement of registration pursuant to section 3-213(c)(1) that knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of this subchapter shall also be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

§ 3-228. Rulemaking.

The conflicts of interest board, in consultation with the clerk, shall adopt such rules as necessary to ensure the implementation of this subchapter, including rules defining prohibited gifts and exceptions including de minimis gifts, such as pens and mugs, gifts that public servants may accept as gifts to the city and gifts from family members and close personal friends on family or social occasions, and to the extent practicable, such rules shall be promulgated in a manner consistent with the rules and advisory opinions of such board governing the receipt of valuable gifts by public servants.