What's happening
This bill ensures that bills in New York's two-year legislative sessions retain their procedural status across both years, eliminating unnecessary reintroduction and reconsideration.
Why it matters
Reduces Redundant Legislative Work. By maintaining the procedural status of bills across both years of a legislative session, lawmakers and staff can avoid duplicating their efforts on bills that have already advanced, freeing up time and resources to focus on new or more complex proposals.
Increases Efficiency and Predictability. The bill streamlines the legislative process, making it easier to track the progress of legislation and reducing confusion about where a bill stands when a new session year begins. This benefits legislators, advocates, and the public by providing greater continuity and transparency.
Limits Unnecessary Committee Referrals. Bills that have already been reported by a committee or reached the order of third reading will not be sent back to committee unless they are amended, preventing procedural delays and potentially expediting final consideration and passage.
Maintains Exceptions for Key Legislation. Important categories of bills—such as those related to the state budget, constitutional amendments, or those requiring local government approval—are excluded from these changes, ensuring that special scrutiny and processes remain for particularly significant or complex legislation.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Keep Bills Alive Two Years
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 42
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Keep Bills Alive Two Years
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Sandy Galef
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
991
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 6, 2017
Introduced by Sens. BONACIC, VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations
AN ACT to amend the legislative law, in relation to the continuity of legislative sessions
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that while New York and most other states operate on two-year legislative calendars, only the legislature of the state of New York interrupts procedural continuity of legislation during the two-year session. This practice commonly requires the reconsideration and readoption of hundreds of bills during the second year which were previously considered and adopted during the first year. The legislature determines that this practice is usually unnecessary and expends time and taxpayer money which could be better spent addressing other important legislative business. The legislature therefore declares its intent to preserve the procedural continuity of all bills within the biennial legislative session.
§ 2. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 42-a to read as follows:
§ 42-a. Continuity of legislative sessions. 1. Upon passage of a bill by one house of the legislature, such bill shall automatically be sent to the appropriate committee in the other house for action on such bill, where that house may act on the bill at any time during the remainder of the biennial legislative session.
2. No bill reported by a standing committee of the senate or assembly shall be referred back to that committee unless such bill shall have been amended.
3. Every bill which shall have reached the order of third reading but which shall not have been acted on by the house before the end of the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02414-01-7
S. 991 2
first year of the two-year legislative session shall maintain its place on the order of third reading until the house shall act on such bill or until the end of the two-year legislative session unless such bill shall have been amended, in which case such bill may be referred back to a standing committee for reconsideration.
4. The provisions of this section shall not apply to budget bills introduced by the governor pursuant to article seven of the constitution, bills requiring a home rule message from one or more local governments pursuant to article nine of the constitution, concurrent resolutions to amend the constitution pursuant to article nineteen of the constitution or bills subject to the provisions of section fifty of this article.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, that the senate and assembly shall, by concurrent resolution, adopt rules necessary to implement this act within twenty days after such act shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the legislative law, in relation to the continuity of legislative sessions
Purpose
Enhances the continuity of the two-year, legislative session by allowing all bills to "carry over" (keep their place on the legislative calendar between the first and second years of a session).
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Legislative intent.
Read the full memo (651 words)
Section 2: Amends the Legislative Law by adding a new section 42-a which provides that during the second year of the two year session, bills will remain at the same place in the process as they were when the first year ended. This section stipulates that:
1. A bill that passes one house of the legislature will automatically be sent to the appropriate committee of the other house for action, and that house may act on the bill at any time during the remainder of the two-year session.
2. No bill reported by a standing committee shall be referred back to that committee unless the bill is amended.
3. Every bill that reaches the order of third reading shall remain on that order until it is acted upon by that house or until the end of the two year session, unless the bill is amended and hence may be referred back to a standing committee.
4. These new provisions do not apply, however, to budget bills, bills requiring home rule messages, bills amending the New York State Retirement Program, or concurrent resolutions to amend the constitution.
Section 3: Effective date.
Justification
Like most states, New York operates on a two-year legislative calendar. In New York, a house of the legislature must again pass in year two any bill it has passed in year one, if the other house did not act upon the bill. In addition, bills reported favorably out of committee, but not yet voted on by the full house, revert back to committee. In each second year of the two-year legislative session, the Senate and the Assembly reconsider and readopt hundreds of bills passed during the previous year because of these requirements.
This cumbersome process wastes time and money that could be spent on new state business. Unless a bill is amended, there is no reason to pass it twice during the same session. Carrying over bills between the first and the second years of session, without interruption, will stop the waste of legislative days spent reconsidering bills in committee and re-passing bills on the floor, and will give lawmakers and staff more time to conduct other important business. Creating a continuous two-year session is common sense government and will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of this government.
Legislative history
S.1678 of 2016: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.1678 of 2015: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.2041 of 2014: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.2041 of 2013: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.3061 of 2012: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Rules S.3061 of 2011: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.2891 of 2010: Died in Senate Judiciary, Died in Assembly Rules S.2891 of 2009: Died in Senate Judiciary, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.5514 of 2008: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations S.5514 of 2007: Died in Senate Investigations and Gov. Operations, Died in Assembly Gov. Operations
Fiscal implications
Savings from streamlining the legislative process.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, that the Senate and Assembly shall, by concurrent resolution, adopt rules necessary to implement this act within twenty days after such act shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.