October 28, 2021

1)  I just received the note (below) from advocates who are coordinating the ongoing effort to get a bill that would repeal a previously enacted executive law that requires certain charitable organizations to file financial documents with the Department of State.  (Many of these documents are the same ones you file with the NYS Charities Bureau.)   Earlier this year, joint advocacy efforts resulted in both houses of the Legislature passing the bill.  Today we learned the bill is now (finally) in front of the Governor. Please take a moment to review the information below the dotted line) and take action in support of the Governor signing the bill! 

2) In related news, on 10/25 Attorney General Tish Janes announced the implementation of a new online portal NYS charities can use to file annual financial disclosures.  Access to the new e-filing application can be found on the Charities Bureau’s website.

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Hi all,

Thank you so much for taking action to urge Governor Hochul to sign S4817A/A1141A, the bill to repeal the new DOS tax filing requirement for nonprofits. We have heard the State Senate plans to deliver the bill to the Governor on Monday, November 1st! The Governor will then have 10 days to act on the bill. She can sign it, veto it, or if she does not act on it, the bill will become law. When we receive confirmation that the bill has been delivered to Governor Hochul next week we will send out a public e-blast with a call to action for the sector to urge the Governor to sign the bill. In the meantime, please continue to reach out and take action (through the link provided, or using the sample message below) because the Governor’s Office (like the legislature) does keep track of how many emails and contacts they receive in support of legislation.

In the event anything changes I will keep everyone posted.

Sample email/letter:

To: The Honorable Governor Hochul

Dear Governor Hochul,

My organization joins the over 460 nonprofits across the state urging you to please sign S4817A/A1141A as soon as possible. This bill would remove a new, burdensome tax filing requirement for 501c3 charitable nonprofits to now have to file their annual tax filing with the Department of State, in addition to the Attorney General’s Office. During a time when nonprofits have increased their work to meet community needs, this bill would provide much needed relief to nonprofits across New York State. We respectfully ask that you sign this legislation as soon as possible, so that we have enough time to prepare for our filings due to the Attorney General’s Office on November 15th, and the peace of mind that we will not be required to file this same information to the DOS.