Governor Wraps Up Year-End Bill Actions

As 2025 comes to a close, Governor Hochul signed several bills supported by the City Bar and vetoed others, while signaling her intent to approve the long-awaited Medical Aid in Dying Act—a measure the City Bar has supported since 2017. Below is a summary of the Governor’s actions.  Each bill that was signed had an accompanying approval memo, which means chapter amendments to address concerns raised by the Governor will be adopted next session.

Reducing False Child Maltreatment Reports

The Governor signed the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill to reduce false child maltreatment reports into law as Chapter 668, accompanied by an approval memo recognizing the need to protect families from malicious or unfounded allegations while preserving child safety. The legislation creates a process to curb false reports through verification requirements and penalties for knowingly false claims. The Children and the Law Committee and Council on Children supported this measure to ensure investigations focus on genuine concerns rather than weaponized accusations.  This bill was a 2025 New York State Legislative Agenda item.

No-Fault Separation in New York

Signed as Chapter 673, this legislation modernizes family law by allowing couples to legally separate without proving fault, reducing conflict and streamlining court proceedings. The Governor’s approval memo highlighted the bill’s role in promoting fairness and efficiency in matrimonial cases and requested technical amendments to the language. The Matrimonial Law Committee worked with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers to advance this reform, recognizing its potential to ease burdens on families and the courts.

Coerced Debt Bill

Chapter 710 addresses a critical issue for survivors of domestic violence and financial abuse by enabling victims to seek relief from debts incurred through coercion or fraud. The Governor’s approval memo indicated a need to address technical errors, substantive issues and structural defects in the bill as drafted. The Domestic Violence Committee and Sex and Law Committee collaborated to support this legislation, which closes a loophole that allowed abusers to saddle victims with crushing financial obligations.

Protection from Liability for Legally Protected Health Activity (Shield Law 2.0)

Signed as Chapter 694, this law shields providers and helpers from civil or criminal liability for performing or assisting with reproductive or gender-affirming care that is lawful in New York, even when targeted by out-of-state laws. The Governor’s memo underscored New York’s commitment to safeguarding these essential services but indicated that, as drafted, the bill would impose obligations on health care providers served with requests for information about legally protected health activity that would be difficult to manage within the timelines required by the bill. The Sex & Law, Civil Rights, LGBTQ Rights, and Health Law Committees strongly supported this measure to ensure that providers and patients remain protected amid growing interstate conflicts over healthcare rights.

Judiciary “Death Gamble” Amendment

The Governor once again vetoed this proposal, along with several other bills that would provide State and local employee with various enhancements to retirement or disability benefits, citing fiscal implications. The amendment aimed to address inequities in judicial retirement benefits when judges die shortly before eligibility, ensuring fair treatment for surviving spouses. The Council on Judicial Administration supported this reform to promote fairness in judicial compensation.

Freedom to Read Act

Despite strong support for combating book bans, the Governor vetoed this measure, calling for further work on operational details. The bill sought to establish statewide standards for school library collections and empower librarians to provide students access to diverse, developmentally appropriate materials. The LGBTQ Rights, Children & the Law, and Civil Rights Committees supported this legislation to protect intellectual freedom and ensure inclusive education.

New York Health Information Privacy Act

Although vetoed, the Governor acknowledged the importance of protecting sensitive health data while citing implementation challenges and overlap with existing privacy frameworks. The bill would have expanded protections beyond HIPAA, limiting data processing and granting individuals rights to access and delete health information. The Civil Rights Committee advocated for this legislation to safeguard privacy in an era of increasing digital vulnerability.

Hospital Transparency Act

Vetoed due to cost concerns, this bill would have required hospitals to disclose services they do not provide and mandated the Department of Health to publish this information online, improving patient access to reproductive and gender-affirming care. The LGBTQ Rights, Civil Rights, Health Law, and Sex & Law Committees supported this measure to ensure patients can make informed decisions about their care.

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For a full listing of City Bar committee legislative successes in 2025, click here. Many thanks to our committees for their work on these issues!