City Bar Releases 2026 New York State Legislative Agenda

Agenda outlines priorities to strengthen the judiciary, expand access to justice, and advance criminal justice reform, and highlights committee-drafted legislative proposals

The New York City Bar Association today released its 2026 New York State Legislative Agenda, a comprehensive statement of the organization’s policy principles and priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The agenda reflects the City Bar’s mission to promote access to justice, uphold the rule of law, and support the fair and effective administration of justice in New York State.

The agenda highlights areas where state action is needed to ensure that New York’s legal system remains accessible, effective, and responsive to the needs of New Yorkers. Notably, the 2026 agenda includes an expanded set of legislative proposals drafted by City Bar committees, reflecting the depth of subject-matter expertise within the organization and its active role in shaping legislation.

“The City Bar’s committees do more than comment on legislation — they help write it,” said Muhammad U. Faridi, President of the New York City Bar Association. “This agenda reflects the key role our members play in developing thoughtful, practical proposals to strengthen the justice system, protect vulnerable New Yorkers, and ensure the law keeps pace with changing needs.”

Among the agenda’s primary focus areas are:

• The Uncap Justice Act and Timely Justice Act, reforms needed to better align judicial resources with actual court needs;
• Access to justice and civil legal services, including sustained funding, right-to-counsel initiatives, and fair compensation for assigned counsel;
• Criminal justice reform, with an emphasis on rehabilitation, proportional sentencing, and public safety; and
• Committee-drafted legislative proposals, including new measures addressing attorney ethics hotline confidentiality, modernization of electronic transactions, strengthening flex rating for for-hire vehicle insurance and safeguarding vulnerable New Yorkers’ valuables.

While the agenda focuses on state legislative priorities, some issues identified may also be advanced through the state budget or other executive-led policy processes. As in prior years, the agenda is intended to reflect a broad portfolio of issues rather than a ranked list, preserving flexibility as legislative and policy developments evolve.

The full list of Agenda items for 2026:

The Judiciary & Access to Justice

• Repeal the Population-Based Constitutional Cap on Supreme Court Justices and Modernize the Assessment of Judicial Needs
• Sustain and Expand Civil Legal Services Funding through the Judiciary Budget to Promote Access to Justice
• Strengthen Right to Counsel and Assigned Counsel Systems through Sustainable Funding and Compensation
• Reform and Modernize the Administration of Class Actions in New York’s Courts

The Legal Profession, Ethics & Professional Oversight

• Ensure Confidentiality and Protection for Ethics Hotline Inquiries
• Permit Nonresident Attorneys to Practice in New York without Maintaining a Physical Office in State

Access to Essential Services & Legal Protections for Vulnerable New Yorkers

• Provide Internet Access to Individuals Living in Temporary Housing throughout New York State to Ensure Adequate Access to Services
• Safeguard Vulnerable New Yorkers’ Valuables
• Support New York’s Nonprofit Organizations

Good Government & The Rule of Law

• Raise and Reset Expectations about State Ethics Enforcement in New York

Criminal Justice Reform in New York

• End Mandatory Minimum Sentences
• Expand Treatment-Based Alternatives
• Reform Parole & Resentencing Laws

Children & Families

• Protect Children during Custodial Police Interrogations
• Adopt a Parental Bill of Rights in Child Protective Services Investigations
• Reform and Improve New York Family Court for All Litigants

Business, Commercial & Consumer Law

• Modernize Electronic Transactions
• Strengthen Flex Rating for For-Hire Vehicle Insurance

The full 2026 New York State Legislative Agenda is available here.

For a full directory of City Bar reports, including positions on regulatory changes and our federal and international work, please visit our website.

About the Association
The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has over 20,000 members, is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org