New York State Legislature End-of-Session Update

During the week of June 15, the New York State Legislature completed its regular session, having given final two-house passage to a total of 856 bills.

The New York State Conference of Mayors has prepared a comprehensive municipal law summary, which includes bills that passed both houses and have an impact on local governments, as well as an update on the final status of several other bills of interest to municipalities that did not receive final passage.

For a complete copy of the summary, click here.

Second Amendment Legal Update, January 2025

A monthly update, prepared for the Schuyler County Chapter of S.C.O.P.E. NY, a statewide 501(c)4 organization dedicated to preserving the 2nd Amendment rights for the residents of New York State. For a complete copy of this month’s report, click here.

New laws for New York in 2025

Here is a list of some of the new laws taking effect in 2025:

• The New York State the Equal Rights Amendment.
• Transparency from telemarketers
• Deterring cell phone theft
• Making it easier to cancel health club contracts
• Banning certain fees on leased cars
• Posting restaurant inspection grades
• Paid leave for some expectant mothers
• Expanded access to childcare
• Raising New York’s minimum wage
• Expanced coverage for persons with severe job-related stress
• Expedited payment of unclaimed funds
• Regulating classroom temperatures
• Labels on drugs and cosmetics
• Disclosing diaper ingredients
• Cracking down on hate-fueled threats
• Insurance coverage for dyslexia exams
• Expanded protection against domestic violence
• Seat belts required on charter buses

New York State Legislature End-of-Session Update

On June 8, the New York State Legislature completed its regular session, having given final two-house passage to a total of 805 bills.

The New York State Conference of Mayors has put together a comprehensive municipal law summary, which includes bills that passed both houses and have an impact on local governments, as well as an update on the final status of several other bills of interest to municipalities that did not receive final passage.

For a complete copy of the summary, click here.

New York State laws taking effect in 2024

Nexstar Media Inc. reports on some of the new laws taking effect in New York State in 2024, including:

• Increasing the minimum wage.

• Raising the Age for Operation of ATVs by minors.
• Requiring religious dietary food options in prisons.
• Mandating free menstrual products in non-public schools.
• Declaring Lunar New Year as school holiday.
• Expanding victims and survivors of crime eligibility for compensation funds.
• Requiring skimming notices for EBT cards in stores.
• Prohibiting employers from accessing employees’ social media accounts.
• Encouraging student voter registration and pre-registration.

For more on these new laws, including the text of each, click here.

Summary of New Legislation Available

The New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) has published its 2023 Summary of Enacted and Pending Legislation, which highlights legislation that passed the Senate and Assembly and impacts cities and villages.

The document, which is regularly updated, is available on the NYCOM website.

According to NYCOM, this year there were 869 pieces of legislation that passed both houses and have been or will be delivered to Governor Hochul for her approval or veto. A copy of the update, current as of September 5, 2023, appears below.

NYCOM Summary of Legislation by Steven Getman on Scribd

New year, new laws: Legal changes affecting New Yorkers

Nexstar Media Inc. reports on a number of changes to legislation look out for in 2023:

• Social Security payments get a boost: About 70 million Americans can expect to see an increase in their monthly Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for 2023.
• Minimum wage is going up: Minimum wage will be jumping to $14.20 — up a dollar from $13.20 — for most upstate workers.
• New York’s Paid Family Leave Law is expanding: Federally, 1993’s Family and Medical Leave Act gives workers the right to take twelve unpaid workweeks off for a birth or adoption, for a serious health condition, or to care for a seriously ill spouse, child, or parent. 2023 brings siblings into the mix.
• E-waste recycling is getting cheaper: Starting January 1, most manufacturers who make or sell their own tech in New York State will now have to provide and pay for “free and convenient” e-waste recycling for New Yorker

Other changes going into effect include:

• New York Collegiate Athletic Participation Compensation Act: College athletes can receive compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness without the risk of having to give up their scholarships or eligibility.
• Telemarketing calls: This new law requires telemarketers to give customers the option to be added to their do-not-call list immediately after the telemarketer says their name and company.
• Lactation rooms in airports: The new law requires airports to provide a nursing space for breastfeeding mothers.
• Electric Vehicle Rights Act: Prohibits homeowners’ associations from preventing homeowners from installing EV charging stations on their properties.
• Pedestrian and bicyclist safety: This law requires new drivers to learn about pedestrian and bicyclist safety awareness as part of their pre-licensing course.
• Polling places: This law allows registered voters to cast their ballot at the wrong polling place as long as they are in the correct county and State Assembly district.
• Brianna’s Law: Beginning January 1, 2023, those born on or after January 1, 1983 need the boating safety certificate to operate mechanically propelled boats.

New law protects New Yorkers from “spam” text messages.

New York state officials have enacted new legislation, expanding New York State’s definition of telemarketing to include text messages.

New Yorkers have protection against unwanted robocalls under state law, but texting was not previously defined as telemarketing, exempting it from those protections. This legislation closes that loophole.

State law originally protected New Yorkers against unwanted robocalls, but text messages were not included under those protections. That stipulation has changed. Now, the definition of “telemarketing” as it pertains to state law also encompasses text messages.

Many New Yorkers saw a rise in unwanted calls and text messages from telemarketers during the pandemic.

A complete copy of the new law can be found here.

New laws for New York in 2020

Gannett News reports on a number of the new laws enacted by the New York State Legislature and scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2020. They include:

• Adoptees can access birth certificates;
• Farmworkers get overtime pay, mandatory rest;
• Cash bail, discovery reforms;
• Safety course requirement for motorboats;
• Teens can 'pre-register' to vote;

For more on these new laws, click here.

New laws for the New Year

New laws for New York in 2019:

• Drug Take Back Act: A law that takes effect Jan. 6 requires drug stores and mail-order pharmacies to give consumers the ability to return unused prescription drugs through free drop boxes, pre-paid envelopes and other secure options.
• Diaper changing tables in public bathrooms: Beginning Jan. 1, all new bathrooms that are publicly accessible must have diaper changing tables.
• Body scanners in prisons: A new law that takes effect Jan. 30 will allow body scanners to be used on inmates in prisons across New York to detect hidden weapons.
• Disability benefits for volunteer firefighters with cancer: Volunteer firefighters diagnosed with certain types of cancer will be eligible for state disability coverage beginning Jan. 1.
• Minimum wage increase: In Upstate New York and areas outside of New York City and its suburbs, the minimum wage will increase from $10.40 per hour to $11.10 per hour.
• Newborn testing: Beginning Jan. 30, newborns in New York state who are identified or suspected of having a hearing impairment will be required to be tested for cytomegalovirus, unless a parent objects.
• Prostate screenings at no cost: A law effective Jan. 1 requires health insurers to provide men with access to prostate cancer screening without any co-pays or deductibles.
• Property tax relief credit: Property tax rebate checks for STAR eligible homeowners with incomes of $275,000 or less who live in property tax compliant school districts.

For more on these new laws, click here.

New York Public Employees Will Be Entitled to Paid Leave for Cancer Screenings

New York State has amended Civil Service Law to entitle most public sector employees to take up to four hours of paid leave per year to be screened for all types of cancers.

Currently, the law allowed paid leave only for screenings for breast cancer and prostate cancer. The new law provides for these screenings without deducting any leave time (e.g., sick, personal, or vacation) from the employee.

The new law is effective March 18, 2018. For more on the legislation, click here.

New York's new laws for the New Year

Here’s a round up of some new laws coming to New York in 2017, including:

An increase in minimum wage;
The cost of naloxone, the drug used to treat drug opiate overdoses, will be covered by insurance companies;
Expanded breast cancer screening and treatment for some;
Teens ages 16 and 17 applying for a learner’s permit can now become an organ donor;
Traffic control devices at rail grade crossings will be inspected more often;
A tax credit extension for some parents;
Measuring window tints during vehicle inspections;

Other new laws include:

Starting Jan. 17, funeral homes statewide will be allowed to serve light fare — such as baked goods, sandwiches, snacks and food platters — and nonalcoholic beverages [to] "provide nourishment to sustain the family of the deceased at their time of need."
A measure, taking effect Jan. 7, that will prohibit the sale under any other name of the fish known to marine taxonomy as escolar. The fish, sometimes marketed as "white tuna," has a unique metabolism that makes it difficult for some diners to digest, often leading to what the bill's authors term "purgative effects that are not associated with eating tuna."
A provision that takes effect Feb. 26 that cracks down on the use of so-called "ticket bots" to unscrupulously scoop up event tickets for resale.