STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3631
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 29, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
ment Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law and the general municipal law, in
relation to providing for local human rights laws
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Effective Enforcement of Civil Rights Act of 2025".
3 § 2. Legislative purpose. To encourage municipalities to take advan-
4 tage of their home rule powers to proscribe discrimination and to more
5 broadly prohibit discriminatory conduct and decisions that take place,
6 in whole or in part, within a local jurisdiction, regardless of where
7 that conduct and decisions have impact.
8 § 3. Section 292 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
9 subdivision 42 to read as follows:
10 42. The term "local human rights law", when used in this article,
11 means a law of a city or of a county not wholly located within a city
12 that has delineated and proscribed local unlawful discriminatory prac-
13 tices.
14 § 4. Subdivisions 6 and 16 of section 295 of the executive law, subdi-
15 vision 6 as amended by chapter 958 of the laws of 1968 and subdivision
16 16 as added by chapter 493 of the laws of 1970, are amended to read as
17 follows:
18 6. (a) To receive, investigate and pass upon complaints alleging
19 violations of this article and local human rights laws.
20 (b) Upon its own motion, to test and investigate and to make, sign and
21 file complaints alleging violations of this article and local human
22 rights laws, and to initiate investigations and studies to carry out the
23 purposes of this article.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04703-01-5
S. 3631 2
1 16. To have concurrent jurisdiction [with the New York city commission
2 on human rights over the administration and enforcement of title C of
3 chapter one of the administrative code of the city of New York] to
4 enforce a local human rights law along with the county or city that has
5 enacted such local human rights law.
6 § 5. Article 12-D of the general municipal law, as added by chapter
7 376 of the laws of 1963, the article heading as amended by chapter 413
8 of the laws of 1964, section 239-o, paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of
9 section 239-q, and subdivisions (a) and (b) of section 239-r as amended
10 by chapter 560 of the laws of 2019, sections 239-q, 239-r, 239-s and
11 239-t as amended by chapter 958 of the laws of 1968, is amended to read
12 as follows:
13 ARTICLE 12-D
14 [COMMISSIONS ON] LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS,
15 COMMISSIONS, AND DEPARTMENTS
16 Section 239-o.[Creation, appointment and terms] Enactment and enforce-
17 ment of local human rights laws.
18 239-p.[Officers and employees; expenses] Creation, appointment
19 and terms of commissions on, and departments of, human
20 rights.
21 239-q.[General duties and powers] Officers and employees;
22 expenses.
23 239-r. General duties, powers, and obligations.
24 239-s.[New York city commission on human rights] Powers not
25 limited; concurrent jurisdiction.
26 239-t. Filing copies.
27 § 239-o. Enactment and enforcement of local human rights laws. 1. The
28 legislative body of any city or any county not wholly located within a
29 city, may:
30 (a) enact such legislation as it sees fit to define, proscribe, and
31 remedy local unlawful discriminatory practices;
32 (b) determine whether such legislation is to be enforced administra-
33 tively or through an action commenced in a court of general jurisdic-
34 tion; and
35 (c) determine which persons and entities are permitted to seek
36 enforcement.
37 2. Such local laws shall be enforceable by or on behalf of all persons
38 whether or not those persons are residents of the city or county in
39 question, and whether or not those persons are residents of the state,
40 so long as the discriminatory conduct or decision-making occurs, in
41 whole or in part, within the geographic bounds of such city or county in
42 question. Such local laws shall also be enforceable by or on behalf of
43 residents of the city or county in question even where neither the
44 discriminatory conduct nor decision-making occurs within the geographic
45 bounds of the city or county; provided that the discriminatory conduct
46 or decision-making is the act of a resident of this state or an act of a
47 corporation organized under the laws of this state or authorized to do
48 business in this state.
49 § 239-p. Creation, appointment and terms of commissions on, and
50 departments of, human rights. The governing board of any county, city,
51 village or town may by resolution create a commission on, or department
52 of, human rights. [The] In the case of creating a commission, the
53 governing board shall determine the number of members of such commis-
54 sion, the terms of the members, the manner of appointment of the
55 members, the selection of a [chairman] chairperson and the compensation,
56 if any, to be paid to them. In selecting the membership of the commis-
S. 3631 3
1 sion, the governing board shall take into consideration the various
2 ages, races, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender
3 identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing
4 genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, domestic
5 violence victim status and political groups in the community. The estab-
6 lishment of such a commission at one level of local government shall not
7 preclude establishment of such a commission at other levels of local
8 government.
9 § [239-p] 239-q. Officers and employees; expenses. [The] A commission
10 shall have the power and authority to employ an executive director, a
11 secretary and such attorneys, experts and other employees as may be
12 necessary, within the amount made available by the local governing
13 board. Each county, city, village and town is hereby authorized and
14 empowered to make such appropriation for such expenses and for the
15 compensation, if any, to be paid to the members of the commission. A
16 city or county shall have the power and authority to employ staff and
17 expend funds in respect to departments of human rights as it does in
18 respect to any other municipal department.
19 § [239-q] 239-r. General duties [and], powers, and obligations. 1. It
20 shall be the duty of [the] a commission:
21 (a) To foster mutual respect and understanding among all ages, races,
22 creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or
23 expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic char-
24 acteristics, familial status, marital status and domestic violence
25 victim status groups in the community.
26 (b) To make such studies in any field of human relationship in the
27 community as in the judgment of the commission will aid in effectuating
28 its general purposes and where desirable, to make the results of such
29 studies public.
30 (c) To inquire into incidents of tension and conflict among or between
31 various racial, religious and nationality groups, and to take such
32 action as may be designed to alleviate such tensions and conflict.
33 (d) To conduct and recommend such educational programs as, in the
34 judgment of the commission, will increase goodwill among inhabitants of
35 the community and open new opportunities into all phases of community
36 life for all inhabitants.
37 2. In addition to all other powers, [the] a commission, where and to
38 the extent authorized by local law or ordinance, shall have the power:
39 [a.] (a) To report complaints to the division of human rights alleging
40 unlawful discriminatory practices under article fifteen of the executive
41 law.
42 [b.] (b) To receive, accept and use and expend public grants and
43 private gifts, donations or bequests and other payments, goods and
44 services, notwithstanding any other provision of law.
45 [§ 239-r. General obligations.] 3. A commission on human rights
46 created under the provisions of section two hundred [thirty-nine-o]
47 thirty-nine-p of this article shall discharge the following obli-
48 gations[.]:
49 (a) To receive complaints of alleged discrimination because of an
50 individual's age, race, creed, color or national origin, sexual orien-
51 tation, gender identity or expression, military status, marital status,
52 sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status,
53 marital status or domestic violence victim status, to seek the active
54 assistance of the division of human rights in the solution of complaints
55 which fall within the jurisdiction of the division and to prepare its
56 own plans in the case of other complaints with a view to reducing and
S. 3631 4
1 eliminating such alleged discrimination through the process of confer-
2 ence, conciliation and persuasion.
3 (b) To hold conferences, and other public meetings in the interest of
4 the constructive resolution of age, race, creed, color, national origin,
5 sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex,
6 disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, mari-
7 tal status and domestic violence victim status group tensions and the
8 prejudice and discrimination occasioned thereby.
9 (c) To issue such publications and reports of investigation as in its
10 judgment will tend to effectuate the purposes of this article.
11 (d) To enlist the cooperation and participation of the various racial,
12 religious and nationality groups, community organizations, industry and
13 labor organizations media or mass communication, fraternal and benevo-
14 lent associations, and other groups in an educational campaign devoted
15 to fostering among the diverse groups of the community mutual esteem,
16 justice and equity and opening new opportunities into all phases of
17 community life for all individuals.
18 (e) To encourage and stimulate agencies under the jurisdiction of the
19 governing board which created the commission to take such action as will
20 fulfill the purposes of this article.
21 (f) To submit an annual report to the governing board or boards and to
22 furnish a copy thereof to the division of human rights.
23 § 239-s. [New York city commission on human rights] Powers not limit-
24 ed; concurrent jurisdiction. Nothing in this article shall be deemed to
25 limit or reduce the powers of the New York city commission on human
26 rights[, and with respect to such powers, the jurisdiction of the New
27 York city commission on human rights in relation to matters within the
28 city of New York shall be] or the scope and coverage of the New York
29 city human rights law. The jurisdiction and powers exercised or to be
30 exercised under local human rights laws, commissions and departments are
31 deemed to be concurrent with the jurisdiction of the New York state
32 division of human rights in respect to the conduct and decision-making
33 set out in subdivision two of section two hundred thirty-nine-o of this
34 article.
35 § 239-t. Filing copies. One copy each of any resolution, ordinance or
36 local law which has been, or which may hereafter be adopted, creating a
37 commission on human rights, or any amendment thereto, shall, on or
38 before September first, nineteen hundred sixty-seven, or within five
39 days after its adoption, be filed with the division of human rights.
40 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
