Add §214-j, Exec L; add §208-i, amd §204-d, Gen Muni L; add §155-a, Town L; add §22-c, Cor L; amd §3002, Pub
Health L
Requires the inclusion of cultural competency training in the basic training and pre-employment course curricula for state police officers and municipal police officers and sheriffs, members of fire departments and companies, corrections officers, first responders, emergency medical technicians and advanced emergency medical technicians.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5501--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BUTTENSCHON, SHIMSKY -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Governmental Operations -- recommitted to the Commit-
tee on Governmental Operations in accordance with Assembly Rule 3,
sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the executive law, the general municipal law, the town
law, the correction law and the public health law, in relation to
requiring the inclusion of cultural competency training in the basic
training and pre-employment course curricula for police, firefighters,
correction officers and first responders
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 214-j
2 to read as follows:
3 § 214-j. Training. 1. The superintendent shall establish policies and
4 procedures requiring that state police basic training and pre-employment
5 course curricula include training in the areas of cultural competency,
6 including training pertaining to appropriate sensitivity to issues of
7 race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age and disabili-
8 ties. Such training shall comprise not less than five percent of the
9 basic training and pre-employment course training curricula. Cultural
10 competency training shall be provided by an accredited educator and/or
11 accreditation body.
12 2. The accreditation body shall provide information pertaining to such
13 policies and procedures to municipal law enforcement agencies and
14 departments, fire departments, the department of corrections and commu-
15 nity supervision and the department of health for implementation of such
16 curricula by such agencies and departments.
17 3. The superintendent of the state police shall promulgate rules and
18 regulations necessary to effectuate the provisions of this section.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02186-07-6
A. 5501--A 2
1 4. For the purposes of this section, the term "cultural competency"
2 means knowledge and skills that enable a person to appreciate, under-
3 stand and interact with members of diverse populations within the local
4 community.
5 § 2. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section
6 208-i to read as follows:
7 § 208-i. Mandatory police officer cultural competency training. The
8 chief officer of every police department and sheriff's office in the
9 state shall establish and implement basic training and pre-employment
10 course curricula for all members of such office or department and for
11 all current and new officer employees in accordance with the cultural
12 competency policies and procedures established pursuant to section two
13 hundred fourteen-j of the executive law.
14 § 3. Section 204-d of the general municipal law, as amended by section
15 44 of part B of chapter 56 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as
16 follows:
17 § 204-d. Duties of the fire chief. 1. The fire chief of any fire
18 department or company shall, in addition to any other duties assigned to
19 [him] such fire chief by law or contract, to the extent reasonably
20 possible determine or cause to be determined the cause of each fire or
21 explosion which the fire department or company has been called to
22 suppress. [He] Such fire chief shall file with the office of fire
23 prevention and control a report containing such determination and any
24 additional information required by such office regarding the fire or
25 explosion. The report shall be in the form designated by such office.
26 [He] Such fire chief shall contact or cause to be contacted the appro-
27 priate investigatory authority if [he] such fire chief has reason to
28 believe the fire or explosion is of incendiary or suspicious origin. For
29 all fires that are suspected to have been ignited by a cigarette, within
30 fourteen days after completing the investigation into such fire, the
31 fire chief shall forward to the office of fire prevention and control
32 information detailing, to the extent possible: (a) the specific brand
33 and style of the cigarette suspected of having ignited such fire; (b)
34 whether the cigarette package was marked as required by subdivision six
35 of section one hundred fifty-six-c of the executive law; and (c) the
36 location and manner in which such cigarette was purchased.
37 2. The fire chief of any fire department or company in the state shall
38 establish and implement basic training and pre-employment course curric-
39 ula for all members of such fire department or company and for all
40 current and new employees in accordance with the cultural competency
41 policies and procedures established pursuant to section two hundred
42 fourteen-j of the executive law.
43 § 4. The town law is amended by adding a new section 155-a to read as
44 follows:
45 § 155-a. Mandatory police officer cultural competency training. The
46 chief officer of every police department in the state shall establish
47 and implement basic training and pre-employment course curricula for all
48 members of such office and for all current and new officer employees in
49 accordance with the cultural competency policies and procedures estab-
50 lished pursuant to section two hundred fourteen-j of the executive law.
51 § 5. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 22-c to
52 read as follows:
53 § 22-c. Mandatory correction officer cultural competency training. The
54 commissioner shall establish and implement basic training and pre-em-
55 ployment course curricula for all members of the department and for all
56 current and new officer employees in accordance with the cultural compe-
A. 5501--A 3
1 tency policies and procedures established pursuant to section two
2 hundred fourteen-j of the executive law.
3 § 6. Section 3002 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
4 subdivision 2-c to read as follows:
5 2-c. The commissioner, in consultation with the state emergency
6 medical services council, shall establish and implement basic training
7 and pre-employment course curricula for all current career first respon-
8 ders, emergency medical technicians and advanced emergency medical tech-
9 nicians and for all new first responders, emergency medical technicians
10 and advanced emergency medical technicians in accordance with the
11 cultural competency policies and procedures established pursuant to
12 section two hundred fourteen-j of the executive law.
13 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.
