N.Y. Legislative Law Section 22
Custody of legislative papers and documents

The secretary or clerk of each house, as the case may be, shall take charge of and keep on file all legislative papers and documents of such house, and those presented to it; and shall cause all such papers and documents in his charge to be so classified and arranged that they can be easily found. As used in this section, “legislative papers and documents” means: bills and amendments thereto; fiscal notes; introducers’ bill memoranda; resolutions and amendments thereto; and index records; messages received from the governor or the other house of the legislature; home rule messages; legislative notification of the proposed adoption of rules by a state agency; members’ code of ethics statements; transcripts, minutes or journal records of public sessions, including meetings of committees and subcommittees and public hearings, with the records of attendance of members thereat and records of any votes taken; final reports and formal opinions submitted to the legislature; and final reports or recommendations and minority or dissenting reports and opinions of members of committees, subcommittees, or commissions of the legislature. No such paper or document shall be withdrawn from the files of either house, whether the same be in charge of the regents of the university or the secretary or clerk of such house, except that such secretary or clerk, or a deputy appointed by him, shall have access to the papers and documents of such house in charge of the regents for the purpose of taking copies. Any person may obtain a certified copy of any such paper or document in such files by applying to the secretary or clerk or such deputy in charge thereof and paying to such secretary, clerk or deputy such fees as are prescribed pursuant to the provisions of the public officers law. Either house may, by resolution, order title deeds or original documents accompanying any petition to be delivered to the persons entitled thereto. The journals of proceedings and legislative papers and documents of each house, heretofore published and now in the custody of its secretary or clerk, and such papers and documents of each house hereafter published and kept in custody of its secretary or clerk, shall be deemed for all purposes to be the original journals of the proceedings and the original papers and documents of such house. The journal clerk of each house shall compare a printed volume or volumes of its journal of proceedings hereafter published under the direction of the secretary or clerk of such house with the original manuscript copy thereof, and having noted in such printed volume or volumes each error contained therein, shall attach thereto a certificate, under his hand and official seal, that each such printed volume, as corrected, is a correct transcript of the text of such original manuscript copy. He shall thereupon deposit such printed volume or volumes, so corrected and certified, in the custody of the secretary or clerk of such house, and the same shall thereupon become and be deemed for all purposes to be the original journal or journals of proceedings of such house; and the same, or a copy certified by the secretary or clerk, or journal clerk may be read in evidence. The manuscript copy of the journal prepared by the journal clerk shall be kept continuously in the custody of the secretary or clerk until the journal shall have been printed, compared, corrected and certified in the form and manner provided herein, thereafter, in the discretion of the secretary or clerk, such manuscript copy and the original copies of introduced bills and resolutions may be destroyed. The secretary or clerk shall cause a duplicate or typewritten copy of said manuscript copy of each day’s journal to be prepared and furnished to the printer for his use in printing the journal.

Source: Section 22 — Custody of legislative papers and documents, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/LEG/22 (updated Sep. 22, 2014; accessed Dec. 6, 2025).

2
Exemption of members and officers from arrest 3
Expulsion of members 4
Contempts of either house 5
Compensation of members 5–A
Allowances for member serving as an officer of either house of the legislature or in a special capacity therein 5–B
Limit on outside earned income by members 6
Officers and employees of the senate 7
Officers and employees of the assembly 7–A
Legislative library, librarian and assistants 7–B
Legislative emergency health station 7–C
Member of assembly defined 7–D
Employees of the legislature 7–E
Assistive listening system for the deaf and hard of hearing 7–F
Assembly historian 7–G
Senate historian 8
Appointments to be filed with the comptroller 9
Additional employees 10
Compensation of officers and employees 11
Designation of payrolls as annual, session or temporary 12
Authorization of expenditures 15
Duties of secretary and clerk 16
Supplies furnished by secretary and clerk 17
Accountability of secretary and clerk to comptroller 18
Duties of postmasters and assistants 19
Duties of official stenographers 20
Detail of officers and employees for special duties 21
Limitation of legislative expenses 22
Custody of legislative papers and documents 22–A
Reproduction and destruction of certain records, books and papers of the senate 22–B
Destruction and reproductions of assembly books and records 23
Appropriation bills, how referred 24
Legislative bill drafting commission 25
Duties of the commission 27
Appointment of secretaries of finance and ways and means committees 28
Compensation, expenses, employees 29
Sub-committees of finance and ways and means committees 30
Duties of finance and ways and means committees and secretaries 31
Appearances and inquiries in respect to the budget 32
Representation of certain legislative committees during revision of the budget 32–A
Budget 33
Exercise of certain statutory powers during a vacancy in office of the temporary president of the senate and speaker of the assembly
Green check means up to date. Up to date

Verified:
Dec. 6, 2025

Last modified:
Sep. 22, 2014

§ 22. Custody of legislative papers & documents's source at nysenate​.gov

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