City Bar Releases Legislative Program for 2013

The New York City Bar Association has released its Legislative Program for 2013, a compilation of New York 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. Some highlights from the 2013 Legislative Program include support for measures which would:

• Increase access to justice by providing adequate funding for civil legal services, providing adequate resources to the judiciary and court operations, and authorizing the audio-visual coverage of judicial proceedings
• Reform the criminal justice system by requiring the recording of criminal interrogations, allowing for the sealing of criminal records in certain cases, and providing judges with more discretion in probationary sentencing
• Achieve true equality for women by, among other things, ending family-status and pregnancy discrimination, strengthening human trafficking and order-of-protection laws, combating housing discrimination faced by victims of domestic violence, and enacting the Reproductive Health Act
• Modernize the state’s Uniform Commercial Code
• Amend the Human Rights Law to provide clarity and consistency in the definition and treatment of guide, hearing and service dogs
• Enact a Home Mortgage Bridge Loan Assistance program modeled after Pennsylvania’s successful program
• Legalize medical marijuana
• Protect consumers from unlawful and predatory debt collection/settlement practices

The 2013 Legislative Program can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/12q5kzx.