What's happening
This bill expands the protected classes covered by local human rights commissions to include age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, and other categories.
Why it matters
Expanding protected classes means more individuals are covered by local human rights commissions. , so people facing discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, and other newly included categories will have official channels for complaints and resolutions.
Local governments are now required to consider a broader range of community diversity when forming human rights commissions. , which could lead to more representative bodies and potentially more effective advocacy for all groups.
The bill formally recognizes newer categories of discrimination—like genetic characteristics and domestic violence victim status—reflecting evolving understandings of bias and vulnerability. , which could increase awareness and proactive prevention efforts in local policy.
By aligning local law with broader state and federal anti-discrimination standards, the bill may reduce gaps in protection and clarify rights for people in smaller municipalities. , making it easier for individuals to seek help regardless of where they live in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Human Rights Protections
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Signed chap.560
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.398
- Substituted for A7565
- Referred to codes
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 54–8
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.937
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to local government
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.
Broaden Human Rights Commissions
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Didi Barrett
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5138
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 11, 2019
Introduced by Sens. MAYER, KENNEDY, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to county, city, village or town commissions on human rights
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 239-o of the general municipal law, as amended by chapter 413 of the laws of 1964, is amended to read as follows:
§ 239-o. Creation, appointment and terms. The governing board of any county, city, village or town may by resolution create a commission on human rights. The governing board shall determine the number of members of such commission, the terms of the members, the manner of appointment of the members, the selection of a chairman and the compensation, if any, to be paid to them. In selecting the membership of the commission, the governing board shall take into consideration the various [religious, racial, nationality] ages, races, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, domestic violence victim status and political groups in the community. The establishment of such a commission at one level of local government shall not preclude establishment of such a commission at other levels of local government.
§ 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 239-q of the general municipal law, as amended by chapter 958 of the laws of 1968, is amended to read as follows:
(a) To foster mutual respect and understanding among all [racial, religious and nationality] ages, races, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status and domestic violence victim status groups in the community.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09971-04-9
S. 5138 2
§ 3. Subdivisions (a) and (b) of section 239-r of the general municipal law, as amended by chapter 958 of the laws of 1968, are amended to read as follows:
(a) To receive complaints of alleged discrimination because of an individual's age, race, creed, color or national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, marital status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status or domestic violence victim status, to seek the active assistance of the division of human rights in the solution of complaints which fall within the jurisdiction of the division and to prepare its own plans in the case of other complaints with a view to reducing and eliminating such alleged discrimination through the process of conference, conciliation and persuasion.
(b) To hold conferences, and other public meetings in the interest of the constructive resolution of [racial, religious and nationality] age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status and domestic violence victim status group tensions and the prejudice and discrimination occasioned thereby.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to county, city, village or town commissions on human rights
Purpose or general idea of bill
Modernizing the composition, goals and charge of local human rights commissions.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1, 2 and 3 amends general municipal law, Article 12 Commissions on Human Rights to expand the composition, goals and charge of local commissions on human rights to include all classes protected under the New York State Human Rights Law (ages, races, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex disability predisposing, genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, domestic violence victim status).
Section 4 sets an effective date
Justification
The New York State legislature enacted Article 12 of the General Munici- pal Law to empower local municipalities to form Commissions on Human Rights with the charge of fostering mutual respect and understanding in the community amongst racial, religious, nationality, and political groups. This action was at a time when Article 15 of the Executive Law, our state-wide Human Rights Law had only four protected classes.
Since then, the New York State Human Rights Law has been amended multi- ple times, most recently this year with GENDA, to expand the protected classes and is one of the most comprehensive in the nation, protecting individuals based on ages, races, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic char- acteristics, familial status, marital status, domestic violence victim status as well as creed, color, and national origin while Article 12 of the General Municipal Law has not been updated. This bill modernizes the composition, goals and purview of local human rights commissions to bring them in line with human rights protections in New York State.
Prior legislative history
None.
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it 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.