Department of Civil Service

Description:

The Office of Local Government (OLG) seeks an intern to research state and federal laws and regulations that require research or review of local government legislation. Municipal Home Rule Law sect. 27 requires local governments to submit adopted laws to the Department before they may take effect. Consequently, the Department maintains a comprehensive inventory of local laws adopted throughout the state that contains information useful to a diverse array of stakeholders. The Department also maintains a detailed guidance document, Adopting Local Laws in New York State, which details the general legal obligations applicable to local governments as they prepare and implement new legislation.
The Department is considering improvements to the system it has in place for receiving and publishing the 4,000 to 5,000 local laws it receives each year. Various provisions in state and federal law require state and federal agencies to collect and review certain kinds of local laws. For example, Executive Law sect. 379 requires local governments to submit laws that implement building code standards that are more restrictive than state standards to the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council.
The Department does not possess and is not aware of any comprehensive inventory of statutes and regulations that apply to local laws after they are adopted. The Department does not currently include any provisions in its submission process to proactively inform submitting jurisdictions of such potential obligations to alert state or federal agencies nor does it have processes in place to proactively alert state and federal agencies of adopted laws they may be required to review. The intern will conduct a systematic review of state and any related federal regulations requiring review of local legislation in New York. Specific tasks will involve:
1. Administration of a survey to state agencies and other stakeholders identified by OLG to collect primary information about local law review requirements
2. Review state laws and regulations for processes and mandates that require review of local legislation
3. Identify and interview program managers across state agencies that are required to routinely review local legislation
4. Build an inventory of local law reporting and review requirements
5. Prepare a checklist local government clerks and Department personnel can utilize when reviewing local laws to identify additional stakeholders who may be required to review adopted laws
Research will inform efforts by the Division of Local Government Services to revise guidance for local governments. Information will also be provided to the Division of Corporations, Licensing, and UCC, which is responsible for processing and publishing local laws received by the Department pursuant to Municipal Home Rule Law sect. 27, to support its efforts to improve and enhance the local law submission process.

Skills:

Legal research

Phone interviewing

In-person interviewing

Data entry

Writing

Internship Areas: Legal Specialties, Planning/Analysis/Research, Policy Enforcement, Public Policy