Prohibits municipal officers or employees from using municipal funds for certain mass mailings prior to an election

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Michaelle Solages

Prohibits municipal funds from being used to produce, print, or distribute mass mailings intended to influence voters prior to an election.

ADVANCED TO THIRD READING CAL.485

Summary of Bill A10714 (2025-2026) – New York

Purpose and intent

The bill prohibits municipal officers or employees from using municipal funds to produce or distribute certain mass mailings prior to an election.

The aim is to restrict the use of public resources for political messaging that could influence voters close to elections, promoting more neutral use of municipal funds.

Key provisions and changes

Prohibition on use of municipal funds: Municipal officers or employees may not use municipal funds to produce, print, or distribute mass mailings (defined broadly as communications sent to a large number of residents) in the lead-up to an election.

Pre-election timing: The prohibition applies prior to an election period, with the exact window determined by the bill's procedural language (the text notes “prior to an election” rather than a fixed number of days; the precise timing would be defined in the bill’s operative sections).

Scope of communications: Mass mailings subject to the prohibition include mailings that are addressed to residents or households and intended to convey information about government services, programs, or policy matters. It is designed to cover communications that may have an electoral impact if distributed during sensitive pre-election periods.

Municipal funds defined: The prohibition applies to funds used by municipalities or their officers and employees, including budgets, departmental expenditures, and other public dollar resources.

Who would be affected

Municipal officers and employees: Those who have authority to approve or incur expenses for mailings.

Municipalities and local governments: Cities, towns, villages, and other municipal entities within New York State that rely on public funds for communications.

Potential contractors or vendors: Entities contracted to produce or distribute mailings could be indirectly affected if public funds are restricted from being used in this window.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Status: Advanced to third reading (Cal. 485) as of May 7, 2026.

Previous steps:

Reported (May 5, 2026)
Referred to Codes (April 21, 2026)
Referred to Local Governments (March 27, 2026)

Sponsorship: Co-sponsored by Michaelle Solages.

Next potential steps: If passed, it would move to final passage and then to the Senate/Assembly actions as applicable, followed by the governor’s signature or veto.

Potential impact and considerations

Public resources: The bill could reduce the use of municipal funds for mass mailings that might be perceived as political campaigning, increasing the integrity of pre-election communications.

Compliance and enforcement: Likely requires oversight mechanisms to determine what qualifies as a mass mailing and the applicable pre-election period, with potential penalties or remedies for noncompliance (specific penalties would be defined in the bill’s enforcement provisions).

Administrative burden: Municipalities may need to adjust budgeting practices and identify permissible communications during the pre-election window.

Clarity needs: Some definitional aspects (e.g., what qualifies as a mass mailing, the exact pre-election timeframe) would be important for consistent implementation.

If you’d like, I can pull the exact statutory definitions and the bill’s text to provide more precise language on the mass mailing scope, the pre-election window, and any enforcement provisions.