Research

The 1894 State constitution and subsequent enabling legislation provided for a State Commission of Prisons consisting of eight gubernatorial appointees. The commission was empowered to visit and inspect all penal institutions and to promote humane and efficient administration of these institutions. In 1901 (Chapter 12), the commission membership was reduced to three appointees and the commissioners were assigned to also serve as a Board of Commissioners for Paroled Prisoners.

The Consumer Protection Board was created by the Laws of 1970 (Chapter 294). The board consists of the chairman of the Public Service Commission; the superintendents of the Banking Department and the Insurance Department; the commissioners of the Department of Agriculture and Markets; the Department of Economic Development; the Department of Environmental Conservation; the Department of Health; and the secretary of state. An executive director, chosen by the governor, serves as chairperson of the board.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Investigation of the New York City Criminal Justice System was established in 1972 by executive order. The Office had jurisdiction over the entire New York City criminal justice system, and in a few cases, was given authority to investigate alleged criminal activities by criminal justice personnel outside New York City.

In 1867 the first Adirondack reservoir built in order to manage river water was constructed on the Oswegatchie River. The reservoir raised Cranberry Lake thirteen feet and doubled its size. Since then, reservoirs have become the primary means to control flooding and drought in Adirondack rivers. In 1919 the Black River Regulating District was created in order to regulate water levels on the Black River through the use of dams and reservoirs.

The Capital Defender Office was established in 1995 with the enactment of legislation (L. 1995, Ch.1) returning capital punishment to the state's criminal statutes. On June 24, 2004, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled (People v. LaValle) that part of this legislation was unconstitutional and that until such time as the State Legislature revised the law, the state should not seek the death penalty. On October 23, 2007, the Court of Appeals ruled (People v. Taylor) that the state's last capital prisoner should be resentenced to life imprisonment.

The Office of Counter Terrorism (OCT) was created as part of the 2010 merger that established the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. OCT includes staff and units from its predecessor, the Office of Homeland Security (OHS).

The first State financial aid to students at institutions of higher learning was a program of scholarships to Cornell University set up when the university was established in 1865 (Chapter 585). These scholarships were administered by the Department of Public Instruction and later by the State Education Department, and the first awards were made in 1868. In 1913 (Chapter 292) the Regents College Scholarships were established. These scholarships were awarded through a competitive examination and could be used at any approved college in New York State.

The New York State Commission on Public Integrity was established by the Public Employee Ethics Reform Act of 2007 to insure compliance with the ethical standards that public officials and lobbyists must observe in order to ensure public trust and confidence in government.

This division was established by legislation in 1926 in anticipation of the adoption of the 1927 constitutional amendment requiring the governor to prepare a State budget and the necessary appropriation bills to put it into effect. Until the late nineteenth century the management of State finance rested largely upon the legislature, which appropriated money, and upon the comptroller, who computed the amount of revenue needed to cover the legislative action and notified the counties of the amount they would be required to raise for the State through taxes on real and personal property.

In 1944, Governor Thomas E. Dewey appointed an interdepartmental committee to study the problem of juvenile delinquency. Upon the recommendation of this committee, the New York State Youth Commission, a temporary state commission comprised of a chairperson appointed by the governor and the commissioners of the departments of Correction, Education, Health, Mental Hygiene, and Social Welfare, the industrial commissioner, and the chairperson of the Board of Parole, was established in 1945 (Chapter 556).