May 30, 2025

• The bills that might make it and the bills that might not, as we near the end of the 2025 session
• Take action!
• What did I miss?

The Big Bill Download

As we near the end of session, let’s take a look at where the bills we’ve been advocating for stand.

Session was slated to end on June 12th, but the Assembly has officially extended their session to June 17th.

We have yet to see if the Senate will do the same. Our post-budget advocacy packet can be found here.

ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) (S1356A Skoufis/A3649B Taylor) 

This bill would allow for NY to join a multistate voter list maintenance organization like ERIC.

The ERIC bill passed the Senate early in this legislative session and this past week it moved quickly through the Assembly Rules committee and has been ordered to a third reading. It now needs to get to the floor for a vote before the end of session on June 17th.

What can I do? Call Speaker Carl Heastie’s office (518-455-3791) and request that the bill be brought to the floor of the Assembly for a vote before the end of session.

Same Day Voter Registration Constitutional Amendment (S5751 Gianaris/A2162 Carrol)

This amendment would eliminate the current 10-day gap between the voter registration deadline and Election Day,

allowing voters to register and vote on the same day. As a Constitutional Amendment, it must pass in two separately

elected legislatures before appearing on the ballot for voter approval.

It is unlikely to pass this session, which means it must be approved in the next session in order to advance

to a second passage during the 2027–2028 session.

This timeline would allow it to appear on the ballot during a presidential election year.

The good news is that the bill will end this session with 30 Senate sponsors and 17 Assembly sponsors.

Notably, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has signed on as a co-sponsor, a strong indication

of support for its passage in the Senate.

What can I do? See if your representative is a sponsor in the Senate here and the Assembly here.

If they are not, call their office and ask that they sign on in support of the same day voter registration amendment,

which would increase participation and keep New York’s voter roles more accurate.

Democracy During Detention Act (S440 Myrie/A2121 Walker) 

This bill would ensure fair and timely access to at least one secure voting method- such as absentee voting,

voting by mail, or in-person voting at polling sites- for detained citizens who still retain their right to vote.

This bill is gaining momentum and we want to continue to build the list of co-sponsors before the end of session.

There are currently 22 Assembly sponsors and 12 Senate sponsors.

What can I do? Tell your Assemblymember and Senator to co-sponsor the bill before the end of session by clicking here to write to them and here to call.

Medical Aid in Dying (S138 Hoylman-Sigal)

This bill would allow for would allow a terminally ill, mentally capable adult to request life-ending medication

from a doctor that the person can self-administer at a time of his or her choosing, or never, should suffering

become unbearable. A Senate conference last week has many hopeful that Medical Aid in Dying will go

to the floor for a vote before the Senate session ends on June 12th.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said on May 13th that she will move the bill once her conference amasses enough

support for a floor vote.

What can I do? Call your Senator and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, to get this bill over the finish line!

• Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins: 518-455-2715
• Find your representative here

Script

Hello. I’m calling to tell Senator _________________________ that I support The NYS Medical Aid in Dying Act (S. 138/ Hoylman-Sigal)

and I would like him/her to vote for it and to tell the Majority Leader that he/she will vote for it.

Additionally, I ask you to sign on as a co-sponsor. I feel so strongly about this because ______

This bill would require companies to reduce their packaging by 30% in the first phase, make the remaining packaging reusable

or recyclable, eliminate certain toxic chemicals from packaging, and pay to clean up their packaging waste by reimbursing

municipalities and taxpayers for the collection and processing of those materials. This legislation PASSED in the State Senate on

Wednesday night, 33-25. Senator Pete Harckham, the bill’s sponsor, did a fantastic job of explaining the bill and answering

questions during the deep debate leading up to the vote. It now just needs to be passed in the Assembly. Read more here and here.

What can I do? Click here to call your Assemblymember and ask them to vote “Yes” on the bill.

• Bigger Better Bottle Bill (S5684 May/A6543 Glick)
• Climate Education Bill (S2430 Gounardes/A1984 Rosenthal)
• Elder Parole (S454 Hoylman-Sigal/A 514 Davilla)
• Fair and Timely Parole (S159 Salazar, A127 Weprin)
• New York Health Act (S3425 Rivera/ A1466 Paulin)
• Coverage for All (S3762 Rivera/ A1710 Gonzalez-Rojas)
• Hospital Transparency Act (S3486 Hinchey, A3862 Rozic)
• “Decoupling” of Child Care Assistance from Hours Worked (S2001 Brisport/A3174 Hevisi)
• Prohibits Minimum Earnings Requirement for Child Care Assistance (S1194 Ramos /A2218 Clark)
• Local Input for Community Healthcare (LICH) Act (S1226 Rivera/A6004 Simon)

Did you go to the LCA Show?

Every year the Legislative Correspondents Association puts on a musical-comedy fundraiser where they parody leaders in New York politics on behalf of a good cause. This year the theme was Wicked and featured several of key members of the Albany press corps dressed as Elphaba, Dorothy, and more.

As is traditional, the Governor had a chance to hit back with her own speech and take a few digs at politicians and the press. Read more here.

A New Front Line for Abortion Access in NY

If you listen to the popular New York Times podcast “The Daily”, you may have heard New York featured in one of the episodes this week

that highlighted New York’s shield law, which protects New York providers when providing abortion access in other states.

Listen here and read more here.

Just want to cancel that Gym contract?

A settlement was reached in a suit Attorney General James filed against Equinox. James said the company failed to clearly disclose its

subscription terms and did not offer easy-to-use cancellation mechanisms. Read more here.

Weekly Session Calendar

We are still waiting on the convening time and committee meetings for next week in the Assembly and the committee meetings in the Senate. Check out the updated Senate committee calendar here and the Assembly committee calendar here.

Wednesday, June 4th- Senate in session at 3:00pm, Assembly in session- TBD

Thursday, June 5th- Senate in session at 3:00pm, Assembly in session- TBD

Friday, June 6th- Senate in session at 11:00am, Assembly in session- TBD