Relates to purchasing restrictions and investment of certain public funds in persons that contract to build a border wall; requires the commissioner to develop and publish, using credible information available to the public, a list of persons determined by the commissioner, that have contracted to build a border wall.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
328
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Procurement and Contracts
AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to purchasing
restrictions on persons that contract to build a border wall; to amend
the retirement and social security law, in relation to the investment
of certain public funds in persons that contract to build a border
wall; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration
thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section
2 165-b to read as follows:
3 § 165-b. Purchasing restrictions; persons that contract to build a
4 border wall. 1. As used in this section, the following definitions shall
5 apply:
6 (a) "contracts to build a border wall" shall mean entering into a
7 contract with the federal government for the purposes of building a wall
8 along the border of Mexico and the United States of America.
9 (b) "person" shall mean any natural person, corporation, limited
10 liability company, unincorporated association or any other nongovern-
11 mental entity, organization, or group, or any successor, subunit,
12 parent, or subsidiary of the same.
13 2. (a) Any person that is identified on a list created pursuant to
14 paragraph (b) of this subdivision as a person that contracts to build a
15 border wall, as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this
16 section, shall not be deemed a responsive bidder or offerer, pursuant to
17 section one hundred sixty-three of this article.
18 (b) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this
19 section, and then annually thereafter, the commissioner shall develop
20 and publish, using credible information available to the public, a list
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00830-01-5
S. 328 2
1 of persons determined by the commissioner, that have contracted to build
2 a border wall. Such list, when developed and published, shall be posted
3 on the website of the office of general services.
4 (c) In the event a person included by the commissioner on the list to
5 be developed and published in accordance with paragraph (b) of this
6 subdivision, demonstrates to the commissioner that such person has
7 permanently ceased contracting to build a border wall, or obtains a
8 court order from a supreme court that such person shall be removed from
9 such list due to the court's determination that such person has perma-
10 nently ceased contracting to build a border wall, then the commissioner
11 shall remove such person from such list so developed and published in
12 accordance with paragraph (b) of this subdivision.
13 (d) Prior to the final development and publication of the list
14 required to be produced pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision,
15 the commissioner shall provide written notice of all persons to be
16 included on the list, of the commissioner's intent to so include such
17 person on such list, together with written notice informing such person
18 that inclusion on such list would make such person a non-responsive
19 bidder or offerer, and that such person may apply to the commissioner,
20 or to a supreme court, to be removed from such list pursuant to the
21 requirements of paragraph (c) of this subdivision.
22 (e) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subdivision, a state agency
23 may permit a person contracting to build a border wall to be deemed a
24 responsive bidder or offerer, on a case-by-case basis with a state agen-
25 cy if:
26 (i) the contracting to build a border wall occurred prior to the
27 effective date of this section, such activities have not been expanded
28 or renewed after the effective date of this section, and the person has
29 adopted, publicized, and is implementing a formal plan to cease
30 contracting to build a border wall and to refrain from engaging in any
31 new contracting to build a border wall; or
32 (ii) the state agency makes a formal, written determination that the
33 commodities or services offered by the person named on this list
34 produced by the commissioner pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivi-
35 sion, are necessary for the state agency to perform its functions and
36 that, absent such an exemption, the state agency would be unable to
37 obtain the commodities or services for which the contract is offered.
38 3. (a) A state agency shall require all persons that submit a bid or
39 offer in response to a notice of procurement, or that propose to renew
40 an existing procurement contract, or that propose to assume the respon-
41 sibility of a contractor pursuant to a procurement contract, or other-
42 wise propose to enter into a contract with a state agency with respect
43 to a contract for commodities, services, construction, or contracts
44 entered into pursuant to section eight of the public buildings law or
45 section thirty-eight of the highway law, to certify, at the time the bid
46 is submitted, or the contract is renewed or assigned, that the person or
47 the assignee is not identified on the list developed and published
48 pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision two of this section, and all
49 state agencies shall include such certification information in the
50 procurement record.
51 (b) All persons that submit a bid or offer in response to a notice of
52 procurement, or that propose to renew an existing procurement contract
53 with a state agency, or that propose to assume the responsibility of a
54 contractor pursuant to a procurement contract with a state agency, or
55 otherwise propose to enter into a contract with a state agency with
56 respect to a contract for commodities, services, construction, or
S. 328 3
1 contracts entered into pursuant to section eight of the public buildings
2 law or section thirty-eight of the highway law, shall certify that they
3 have not contracted to build a border wall, and that they are not iden-
4 tified on the list developed and published pursuant to paragraph (b) of
5 subdivision two of this section.
6 4. Upon receiving information that a person who has made the certif-
7 ication required by subdivision three of this section, is, in fact, in
8 violation of such certification, the state agency shall review such
9 information, notify such person and offer them an opportunity to respond
10 to such information, within thirty days of such notice, and if such
11 person fails to demonstrate that they have ceased contracting to build a
12 border wall, then, the state agency shall take such action as may be
13 appropriate and provided for by law, rule or contract, including, but
14 not limited to, notifying the commissioner of such person's contracts to
15 build a border wall, imposing sanctions, seeking compliance, recovering
16 damages, and/or declaring such person in default.
17 5. On or before December fifteenth, two thousand twenty-five, and
18 every year thereafter, the commissioner shall issue a report to the
19 governor, the comptroller, the temporary president of the senate, and
20 the speaker of the assembly, on all the actions taken, and all determi-
21 nations made, by the commissioner pursuant to this section, and any and
22 all rules or regulations adopted.
23 § 2. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding a new
24 section 423-d to read as follows:
25 § 423-d. Prohibition on investment of certain public funds in persons
26 that contract to build a border wall. 1. As used in this section, the
27 following definitions shall apply:
28 (a) "contracts to build a border wall" shall mean entering into a
29 contract with the federal government for the purposes of building a wall
30 along the border of Mexico and the United States of America.
31 (b) "person" shall mean any natural person, corporation, limited
32 liability company, unincorporated association or any other nongovern-
33 mental entity, organization, or group, or any successor, subunit,
34 parent, or subsidiary of the same.
35 2. (a) Any person that is identified on the list created pursuant to
36 paragraph (b) of subdivision two of section one hundred sixty-five-b of
37 the state finance law, as being a person that contracts to build a
38 border wall, shall not be eligible to receive investment of any moneys
39 or assets of the common retirement fund in any stocks, securities or
40 other obligations of such person so identified on such list developed
41 and published by the commissioner of general services.
42 (b) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no assets of
43 any pension or annuity fund under the jurisdiction of the comptroller,
44 shall further be invested in any bank or financial institution which
45 directly, or through a parent or subsidiary contracts to build a border
46 wall and no such assets shall otherwise be invested in the stocks, secu-
47 rities or other obligations of any person which directly, or through a
48 parent or subsidiary entity, contracts to build a border wall.
49 3. The comptroller shall take appropriate action to sell, redeem,
50 divest or withdraw any investment held in violation of the provisions of
51 this section. This section shall not be construed to require the prema-
52 ture or otherwise imprudent sale, redemption, divestment or withdrawal
53 of an investment, but such sale, divestment or withdrawal shall be
54 completed no later than three years following the effective date of this
55 section.
S. 328 4
1 4. On or before December fifteenth, two thousand twenty-five, and
2 every year thereafter, the comptroller shall issue a report to the
3 governor, the commissioner of general services, the temporary president
4 of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, on all the actions
5 taken, and all determinations made, by the comptroller, pursuant to this
6 section, and any and all rules or regulations adopted.
7 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
8 deemed repealed January 20, 2029.
