Blogs
2019 New York State Legislative Session Recap Chart
- Consolidated Primaries: State & federal primary elections now take place on the same day in June (A779 Lavine / S1103 Stewart-Cousins, Chp. 5)
- Early Voting: Voters will have 9 days of early voting before every election (A780 Lavine / S1102 Myrie, Chp. 6)
- Bail Reform: Cash bail has been eliminated for most misdemeanors & non-violent felonies, among other reforms (Budget, Chp. 59)
- Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act: Judges now have greater discretion when sentencing defendants who are survivors of domestic violence (A3974 Aubry / S1077 Persaud, Chp. 31)
- One-Day to Protect New Yorkers Act: The maximum potential sentence for class A misdemeanors has been reduced by 1-day, decreasing potential deportation risks for immigrants (Budget, Chp. 55)
- Driver’s License Access & Privacy Act: All New Yorkers will have access to driver’s licenses, regardless of immigration status (A3675B Crespo / S1747B Sepulveda, Chp. 37)
- Reproductive Health Act: New York now properly recognizes a woman’s right to the full range of reproductive health options afforded by Roe v. Wade (A21 Glick / S240 Krueger, Chp. 1)
- Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA): Employers, landlords, creditors, & others are now prohibited from discriminating against individuals on the basis of gender identity or expression (A747 Gottfried / S1047 Hoylman, Chp. 8)
- Prohibition of the Declawing of Cats: (A1303B L. Rosenthal / S5532B Gianaris, Chp. 107)
- Labor Protections for Immigrants: Clarifies that threats to report or the act of actually reporting an employee or a member of their family to U.S. immigration authorities is prohibited by the Labor Law (A5501 Crespo / S5791 Ramos, Chp. 126)
- Maternal Mortality Review Board: The Board will “review maternal mortality & morbidity, analyze their causes & disseminate strategies for reducing the risks of maternal mortality & morbidity” (A3276 Joyner / S1819 Rivera, Chp. 140)
- Combating Home Equity Scams: Will provide further protections for homeowners who have been victimized by loan modification, short sale & deed theft scams (A5615 Weinstein / S1688 Montgomery, Chp. 167)
- Labor Protections for Domestic Violence Victims: Will prohibit discrimination against victims of domestic violence in employment & provide limited reasonable accommodations (A5618 Weinstein / S1040 Persaud, Chp. 176)
- Second Parent Adoption: Will clarify that a petitioner whose parentage is already legally-recognized can still adopt their child (A460 Paulin / S3999 Hoylman, Chp. 258)
- Inter Vivos Trusts: Changes to testamentary disposition to trustee under, or in accordance with, terms of existing inter vivos trust (A7519 Stirpe / S5513 Hoylman, Chp. 352)
- Compensation for 18-B Lawyers: Will eliminate the two-tiered system of appellate representation by compensating assigned appellate lawyers when filing post-conviction motions (A748 Cook / S3672 Bailey, Chp. 446)
- Uniform Voidable Transactions Act: Will modernize New York’s laws related to fraudulent conveyances (A5622 Weinstein / S4236 Hoylman, Chp. 580)
- New York Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act: Will help preserve generational family wealth held in real property & keep homes/communities intact by establishing basic due process protections for tenants-in-common facing forced partition sales (A7058A Dinowitz / S4865A Hoylman, Chp. 596)
- Extended Jury Deliberations: Judges will be given statutory authority to extend recesses in deliberations under limited circumstances in order to avoid unnecessary mistrials (A7751 Weprin / S6351 Bailey, Chp. 569)
- Donees of Powers in Trust: Will provide compensation for persons holding property pursuant to a power-in-trust at the same rate as testamentary trustees (A7522 Buchwald / S5512 Hoylman, Chp. 601)
