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Floor News
Holocaust Remembrance Day
• The Assembly adopted a resolution (K.799) proclaiming January 27, 2024, as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the State of New York.
“Rape is Rape” Legislation
• The Assembly and Senate passed a bill (A.8558) that enacts a chapter amendment to Chapter 777 of 2023 that removes the penetration requirement from the crimes of Rape in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Degrees (i.e. forcible oral or anal sexual conduct) and merges these provisions into the rape statutes. This chapter amendment makes clarifying references to the repealed sections of law so as not to disrupt prosecution or the procedural process associated with those crimes and specifies that such repeal must not be construed to apply retroactively. It also clarifies that offenses committed prior to the effective date be punished according to the provisions of law existing at the time of the offense. Changes the effective date from January 1, 2024, to September 1, 2024, and applies to any offenses committed on or after that date (vote: 144-1).
Mass Shooting Definition
• The Assembly and Senate passed a bill (A.8569) that enacts a chapter amendment to Chapter 709 of the Laws of 2023, which created the definition of “mass shooting” for DCJS funding purposes. This chapter amendment redefines “mass shooting” to mean an incident in which at least four people are murdered with a firearm, rifle, or shotgun. Further clarifies the Office of Victim Services’ powers and duties when responding to mass shootings or any other incident of terrorism or mass violence. Makes crime victim service programs that are operated at the local level available to victims of mass shootings or of shooting incidents in which four or more people are injured (vote: 140-5).
Committee News
Environmental Conservation
• The Environmental Conservation Committee reported a bill (A.8571) enacting a chapter amendment to Chapter 755 of 2023, popularly known as the “Birds and Bees Protection Act.” This chapter amendment delays the prohibition of various chemical pesticides and allows the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and Markets, to issue waivers allowing the usage of certain neonicotinoid pesticides for no more than two years if certain conditions are met.
o This bill was reported to Codes.
Week In Focus
• On Wednesday, Assembly Republicans held a press conference to voice opposition to the Governor’s Executive Budget proposal to close up to five prisons. To view the press conference, CLICK HERE
• This week’s Joint Legislative Budget hearings were Economic Development/Arts (1/30), Workforce Development/Labor (1/30), Human Services (1/31), and Elementary & Secondary Education (2/1)
• Next week’s Joint Legislative Budget hearings are Local Government/General Government (2/6), Environmental Conservation (2/7), and Higher Education (2/8)
Click here to view the Assembly Republican Review Committee’s 2023-24 Legislative Agenda.