Int. No. 931
By Council Member Pinkett, The Speaker (Council Member Vallone), Carrion, Clarke and Henry
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to the mandatory debate requirement for candidates participating in the campaign finance program for citywide elections.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 5(a) and (c) of section 3-709.5 of the administrative code of the City of New York, as added by local law 90 of 1996, are amended to read as follows:
5. Written applications by organizations to sponsor an election debate shall be submitted to the campaign finance board on a form provided by the board not later than a date chosen by the board in any year in which an election is held for citywide offices.
- The written application shall:
- demonstrate that the organization and any proposed co-sponsor meet the criteria of subdivision four above;
- specify the election and office for which the organization seeks to sponsor the debate;
- set forth the date, time, duration, and location of the debate and the specific and exclusive circumstances under which the date or time may be changed, together with a provision for when the rescheduled debate would be held;
- provide a detailed description of the format and ground rules for the debate;
- verify that the staging, promotion, and coverage of the debate shall be in conformance with all applicable laws; and
- [include an agreement to indemnify the city for any liability arising from the acts or omissions of the sponsor; and
(vii)] set forth plans for publicity and for broadcast and other media coverage for the debate.
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[(c) In the case of the second general election debate, the application shall also provide for an alternative non-partisan voter education program that the sponsor shall provide for any participating candidates not deemed leading contenders.]
ยง2. This local law shall take effect immediately.