---
type: "Bill"
title: "Prohibits agencies from charging a fee for records where an electronic copy is already available from a previous request made within the past six months"
description: "Prohibits agencies from charging a fee for records where an electronic copy is already available from a previous request made within the past six months; requires that fees be apportioned equally among requestors when more than one request is made for identical records before such request has been fulfilled."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ny"
legislature: "New York Legislature"
session: "2021-2022"
identifier: "A 4677"
citation: "New York A 4677 (2021-2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["PAULIN"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 23
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2021-02-04"
last_action: "2022-12-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1c6a2076-07b0-4bb6-8e08-6bfc9cda13dd"
source_url: "http://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/A4677"
source_hash: "7e6ced33db10ffd0ffcca486c32a01a6ea52732be33b3444067016fb41f760df"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ny"]
---

# New York A 4677 (2021-2022) — Prohibits agencies from charging a fee for records where an electronic copy is already available from a previous request made within the past six months

Prohibits agencies from charging a fee for records where an electronic copy is already available from a previous request made within the past six months; requires that fees be apportioned equally among requestors when more than one request is made for identical records before such request has been fulfilled.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **A4677** (committee substitute) — [source](http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?sh=printbill&bn=A4677&term=2021&Text=Y)
2. **A4677A** (committee substitute) — [source](http://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/bills/2021/A4677A)

## Votes

- Floor Vote - Version: A — **61–0** (pass) · upper
- Assembly Vote - Vote 2 — **147–0** (pass) · lower
- Assembly Vote — **147–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- PAULIN — primary (person)
- GALEF — cosponsor (person)
- GALLAGHER — cosponsor (person)
- JACKSON — cosponsor (person)
- SEAWRIGHT — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-02-04** REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-07** AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS `amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2021-05-07** PRINT NUMBER 4677A `amendment-passage`
- **2021-05-19** REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-01** REPORTED
- **2021-06-01** RULES REPORT CAL.180
- **2021-06-01** ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.180
- **2021-06-01** PASSED ASSEMBLY `passage`
- **2021-06-01** DELIVERED TO SENATE
- **2021-06-01** REFERRED TO RULES `referral-committee`
- **2022-01-05** DIED IN SENATE
- **2022-01-05** RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
- **2022-01-05** ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.154
- **2022-02-01** PASSED ASSEMBLY `passage`
- **2022-02-01** DELIVERED TO SENATE
- **2022-02-01** REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS `referral-committee`
- **2022-05-23** SUBSTITUTED FOR S4863A
- **2022-05-23** 3RD READING CAL.794
- **2022-05-23** PASSED SENATE `passage`
- **2022-05-23** RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
- **2022-12-12** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR `executive-receipt`
- **2022-12-23** SIGNED CHAP.745 `executive-signature`
- **2022-12-23** APPROVAL MEMO.60

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1c6a2076-07b0-4bb6-8e08-6bfc9cda13dd`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New York legislature records).