What's happening
This bill prohibits New York state and local agencies from assisting in creating or enforcing federal registries based on personal characteristics like race, religion, or gender.
Why it matters
Limits state and local government involvement. The bill ensures that neither New York state nor its local agencies can use their resources—such as funds, personnel, or equipment—to help create, maintain, or enforce federal registries or databases that are based on personal characteristics like race, religion, gender, or national origin. This restricts the reach of any such federal program within New York.
Expands protections against discrimination. By prohibiting state participation in these types of registries, the bill strengthens protections for vulnerable communities who might otherwise be targeted or surveilled based on their identity.
Acts as a state-level safeguard. The legislation positions New York as a check against potential federal overreach or discriminatory policies, signaling that the state will not cooperate with registries that could facilitate profiling or civil rights abuses.
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Who cares
State and local agencies
The bill would bar them and their agents from using agency resources to investigate, enforce or assist federal registration or database programs based on the listed personal characteristics.
Federal agencies administering covered programs
They would be unable to receive state or local agency resources or assistance to investigate or enforce those programs.
Racial, religious and ethnic communities
The bill would prohibit state and local agency support for federal registries or databases based on race, color, creed, religion or national or ethnic origin.
LGBTQ communities
The bill would prohibit state and local agency support for federal registries or databases based on gender or sexual orientation.
Headline styles
Ban Discriminatory Government Databases
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to codes
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.
Ban Discriminatory Registries
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Karines Reyes
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
964
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. HOYLMAN-SIGAL, BAILEY, JACKSON, KAVANAGH, KRUEGER, SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to the prohibition on certain databases and registries
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section 79-r to read as follows:
§ 79-r. Prohibition on certain databases and registries. No state or local agency, or any agent thereof, may use any funds, facilities, property, equipment or personnel of such agency to investigate, enforce or provide assistance in the investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals, or maintaining a database of individuals, on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national or ethnic origin. For the purposes of this section, the term "agency" shall mean any state or municipal department, board, bureau, division, commission, committee, public authority, public corporation, council, office or other governmental entity performing a governmental or proprietary function for the state or any one or more municipalities thereof.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03209-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the civil rights law, in relation to the prohibition on certain databases and registries
Summary of provisions
The executive law is amended to add a new section 79-0 in that would prohibit state and local agencies from expending resources to assist the federal government in the creation or maintenance of any database or registry based on race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, reli- gion, or national or ethnic origin.
Justification
Regrettably, some persons in New York State are reluctant to interact with state and local agencies out of fear or mistrust. Regardless of individual immigration status, these persons are concerned with possible immigration-related consequences for themselves or family members upon interacting with government agencies that provide vital services and benefits. While much of immigration law is established at the federal level, there are policies that can be enacted by New York to ensure that persons are not stereotyped, profiled or deterred from interacting with government entities.
Toward that end, this bill would prohibit state and local agencies from expending resources to assist the federal government in the creation or maintenance of any database or registry based on race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national or ethnic origin.
Legislative history
S.3159 of 2023-2024 (Hoylman-Sigal): Died in Codes
A.6600 of 2023-2024 (Reyes): Died in Governmental Operations
S.1853 of 2019-2020 (Hoylman): Died in Codes
A.8496 of 2019-2020 (Reyes): Died in Governmental Operations
S.4234 of 2017-2018 (Hoylman): Died in Codes
A.10633 of 2017-2018 (Espinal): Passed in Assembly (2017)/Died in Ways and Means (2018)
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.