City Bar Releases Legislative Program for 2012

The New York City Bar Association has released its Legislative Program for 2012, a compilation of State legislative issues that have been addressed by many of its committees. The Program includes positions on existing legislation as well as proposals for new legislation. While the Program represents only a portion of the issues that the City Bar has analyzed or plans to review, it provides an overview of the wide variety of issues of importance to the Association. Some highlights from the 2012 Legislative Program include:

• Improving the integrity of the judicial process by increasing access to justice, including the availability of legal representation for low-income parties in civil cases, supporting court simplification, and implementing greater fairness and accountability in consumer debt litigation.

• Improving the criminal justice system. Among the many criminal law issues its committees address, the City Bar supports expanding the DNA database as an important tool for the investigation of crimes and the exoneration of the wrongly convicted, clarifying the law with respect to claims of actual innocence and ineffective assistance of counsel, expanding judicial discretion to award youthful offender status, and further reform of the juvenile justice system.

• Support for the equal civil rights of all New Yorkers, including the passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (‘GENDA’), the Reproductive Health Act, laws that protect victims of domestic violence, and a law to clarify the rights of individuals who use service animals.

The 2012 Legislative Program can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/wU27OP