2023-2024 session: change session
Legal bills
Bills that change the Penal Law, the Criminal Procedure Law, civil practice, the courts and legislative ethics. This topic covers the Codes, Judiciary, Ethics and Rules committees. Rules is where many bills land late in session before a floor vote.
Highest impact
Impact is how much a bill would change if enacted, from 1 (minimal) to 10 (transformational). Passage is our estimate of the chance it becomes law this session. How we score
Seal Old Convictions Automatically
This bill establishes automatic sealing of certain criminal conviction records in New York after specific waiting periods, while maintaining access for law enforcement and other designated purposes.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawUpdate Rape Statute Language
This bill updates New York sex offense laws by redefining and consolidating sexual crimes, removing the term "criminal sexual act," and amending related statutes for clarity and consistency.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawProtect Retail Workers from Violence
This bill requires retail employers in New York to implement workplace violence prevention programs, including training, policies, and panic buttons for large employers.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawBan Deepfake Nude Sharing
This bill expands New York's law against non-consensual sharing of intimate images to include digitally altered sexual images and clarifies definitions.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawProtect Health Service Providers
This bill expands legal protections for providers and facilitators of reproductive health services in New York, shielding them from out-of-state legal actions and investigations.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawRequire EV Chargers in Construction
This bill requires most new buildings with off-street parking in New York to include electric vehicle charging stations and EV-ready parking spaces, with exceptions for affordable housing.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawProtect Gender-Affirming Care
This bill prohibits New York from cooperating with out-of-state actions against people or providers of gender-affirming care and protects such care under state law.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawCriminalize Wage Theft
This bill amends New York's penal law to classify wage theft as larceny, allowing prosecution for unpaid or underpaid wages.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawStrengthen Rent Regulation Rules
This bill strengthens rent regulation and tenant protections in New York by clarifying rules on apartment combinations, fraud, and registration enforcement.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawProtect Workers' Free Speech
This bill prohibits employers from forcing employees to attend meetings or communications about political or religious matters and requires posting notice of these rights.
Impact 8 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into law
Most likely to pass
Bills not yet signed or vetoed, by Passage score.
Make Erasing Old Convictions Easier
This bill expands and clarifies how people convicted of crimes in New York can file motions to vacate their convictions or sentences, including new grounds for relief and improved access to legal…
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Stop Testing Pregnant People
This bill prohibits drug, cannabis, or alcohol testing and screening of pregnant or postpartum individuals and newborns without informed consent, except in emergencies.
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Limit Art as Court Evidence
This bill restricts the use of a defendant's creative expression as criminal evidence, allowing it only under strict conditions.
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Ban Non-Compete Agreements
This bill prohibits employers in New York from requiring non-compete agreements for workers, making such agreements void and unenforceable.
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Protect Victims from Coerced Debt
This bill establishes legal rights and remedies for victims of coerced debt, including new procedures for disputing and defending against such debts.
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Protect Digital Privacy Rights
This bill creates the New York Electronic Communications Privacy Act, setting new rules and protections for law enforcement access to electronic device and communications data.
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Vacate Convictions for Decriminalized Acts
This bill expands and streamlines the process for vacating criminal convictions in New York, especially for offenses that have been decriminalized or found unconstitutional, and enhances…
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%Ban PFAS in Products
This bill prohibits the sale of consumer and household products containing regulated PFAS chemicals in New York, starting January 1, 2026.
Impact 8 · Significant·0% to pass
Impact8/10SignificantPassage0%
Recently signed or vetoed
Ban Deforestation in State Contracts
This bill prohibits New York State from purchasing products linked to tropical deforestation and establishes a program to help businesses ensure ethical, sustainable supply chains.
Impact 8 · Significant·Vetoed
Impact8/10SignificantOutcomeVetoedExpand Farm Overtime Tax Credit
This bill expands eligibility for the New York farm employer overtime tax credit to include professional employer organizations in contractual relationships with eligible farm employers.
Impact 5 · Moderate·Vetoed
Impact5/10ModerateOutcomeVetoedBan Election Conflicts of Interest
This bill prohibits board of elections employees from having conflicts of interest, including certain business relationships or being candidates in elections they oversee.
Impact 7 · Significant·Signed into law
Impact7/10SignificantOutcomeSigned into lawCatskill Hotel Tax Approved
This bill authorizes the village of Catskill to impose a 4% occupancy tax on short-term lodging until December 31, 2027.
Impact 5 · Moderate·Signed into law
Impact5/10ModerateOutcomeSigned into lawAllow Annual Cannabis E-Filing
This bill allows cannabis product distributors in New York to choose to file annual tax returns electronically instead of quarterly.
Impact 4 · Low·Vetoed
Impact4/10LowOutcomeVetoedRegulate Automotive Broker Businesses
This bill imposes new regulations, disclosure, recordkeeping, and business location requirements on automobile broker businesses in New York, specifying compensation rules and strengthening consumer…
Impact 6 · Moderate·Signed into law
Impact6/10ModerateOutcomeSigned into lawUpdate Child Abuse Notifications
This bill updates notice requirements for respondents in child abuse and neglect cases, clarifying information about state register records and sealing procedures.
Impact 6 · Moderate·Signed into law
Impact6/10ModerateOutcomeSigned into lawProtect Juror Identities
This bill allows courts to issue protective orders to keep juror identities confidential for good cause, expanding criteria for anonymity.
Impact 5 · Moderate·Signed into law
Impact5/10ModerateOutcomeSigned into law