(Albany, NY) Today, the Senate passed legislation to reform Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) across New York State. The bills will increase accountability and transparency in the IDA process, prevent intra-state piracy, eliminate conflicts of interest, require notice of IDA projects, prohibit certain persons from receiving compensation, allow the public to access and inspect information, and support the preservation of regionally significant projects. In March of 2019, Senator James Skoufis, Chair of the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, opened an investigation into the compliance and practices of public authorities, including Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), across New York State. The Committee issued information and document requests to 143 public authorities including state authorities, local authorities, industrial development agencies, and local development corporations. In 2019, the Senate Democratic Majority advanced legislation that was signed into law to require all IDAs to live stream and post video recordings of all open meetings and public hearings. Today’s legislation continues in response to those findings to improve accountability and transparency for New York taxpayers.