N.Y. Legislative Law § 66-b: Registration and reports by certain persons promoting or opposing the adoption of proposed constitutional amendments by the constitutiona...

* § 66-b. Registration and reports by certain persons promoting or

opposing the adoption of proposed constitutional amendments by the

constitutional convention convening in the year nineteen hundred

sixty-seven. 1. Every person retained or employed for compensation by

any person, firm, corporation or association who, on behalf of such

principal or employer, promotes or opposes directly or indirectly the

adoption of a proposed constitutional amendment or amendments by the

constitutional convention convening in the year nineteen hundred

sixty-seven, whether or not he has a personal interest therein, shall,

before any service is entered upon in promoting or opposing such

proposed constitutional amendment or amendments, file in the office of

the secretary of state a writing subscribed by such person stating the

name or names of the person or persons, firm or firms, corporation or

corporations, association or associations, by whom or on whose behalf he

is retained or employed, together with a brief description of the

proposed constitutional amendment or amendments in reference to which

such service is to be rendered.

2. It shall be the duty of the secretary of state to provide a docket

to be known as the docket of constitutional convention appearances, with

appropriate blanks and indices, and to forthwith enter therein the names

of the persons so retained or employed and of the persons, firms,

corporations or associations retaining or employing them, together with

a brief description of the proposed constitutional amendment or

amendments in reference to which the service is to be rendered, which

docket shall be open to public inspection.

3. Upon the termination of such retainer or employment the fact of

such termination, with the date thereof, shall be entered in the docket

by the secretary of state upon receiving written notice to that effect

from such person or from the person, firm, corporation or association in

whose behalf such service has been rendered.

4. No person, firm, corporation or association shall retain or employ

any person to promote or oppose any proposed constitutional amendment or

amendments for compensation contingent in whole or in part upon the

adoption or defeat of any such amendment or amendments by the

constitutional convention, and no person shall accept any such

employment or render any such service for compensation contingent upon

such adoption or defeat.

5. No person shall for compensation engage in promoting or opposing

any proposed constitutional amendment or amendments by such

constitutional convention except upon appearance entered in accordance

with the foregoing provisions of this section.

6. It shall be the duty of every person, firm, corporation, public or

private, or association, (whether or not required to file pursuant to

the provisions of subdivision one hereof), not later than April

fifteenth, nineteen hundred sixty-seven, to file in the office of the

secretary of state an itemized statement verified by the oath of such

person, or in case of a firm by the oath of a member thereof, or in case

of a domestic corporation or association by the oath of an officer

thereof, or in case of a foreign corporation or association by the oath

of an officer or agent thereof, showing in detail all expenses paid,

incurred or promised directly or indirectly through April third,

nineteen hundred sixty-seven, in connection with promoting or opposing

any constitutional amendment or amendments which may be proposed at such

constitutional convention, with the names of the payees and the amount

paid to each, including all disbursements paid, incurred or promised to

persons employed or retained up to such date, and also specifying the

nature of such constitutional amendment or amendments, and the interest

therein of such person, firm, corporation or association; provided

however no such itemized statement need be filed if the total of such

itemized expenses for the period ending April third, nineteen hundred

sixty-seven is less than two hundred fifty dollars.

7. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the state nor

shall subdivisions one, five and nine of this section apply to a county,

city, town, village, public board or institution, or their agents or

employees; nor shall the provisions of this section be construed as

affecting professional services in drafting a proposed constitutional

amendment or amendments or in advising clients or in rendering opinions

as to the construction and effect of any constitutional amendment or

amendments which may be proposed at such convention where such

professional service is not otherwise connected with constitutional

convention action.

8. On or before April twenty-fourth, nineteen hundred sixty-seven, the

secretary of state shall furnish to each delegate to such convention a

summary of the information contained in the docket of constitutional

convention appearances, and on or before such date shall also transmit

to the president of such constitutional convention a copy of every

statement filed in his office up to and including such date pursuant to

subdivision six of this section.

9. Every person, every member of any firm, and every association or

corporation violating any provision of this section and every person

causing or participating in a violation thereof shall be guilty of a

misdemeanor and, in case of an individual, shall be punishable by

imprisonment in a penitentiary or county jail for not more than one year

or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by both, and, in

case of an association or corporation, by a fine of not more than one

thousand dollars. And in addition to the penalties hereinbefore imposed

any corporation or association failing to file the statement of expenses

prescribed by this section shall forfeit to the people of the state of

New York the sum of one hundred dollars per day for each day following

the expiration of thirty days after the time fixed by subdivision six

for filing such statement, to be recovered in an action to be brought by

the attorney general.

* NB (Expired see § 2 of Ch. 7 of the Laws of 1967)