Establishes a state youth commission to advise the governor on youth issues in the state of New York, including juvenile crime prevention, job opportunities for youth, recreational activities for teenagers, opportunities for effective participation by youth in the governmental process, and changes in city and county regulations that are necessary to improve the social, economic, educational, and recreational advantages of children and youth.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6180
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a state
youth commission to advise the governor on youth issues in the state
of New York
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 article 19-J
2 to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 19-J
4 STATE YOUTH COMMISSION
5 Section 535. State youth commission
6 § 535. State youth commission. 1. There is hereby established within
7 the executive department the state youth commission. The commission
8 shall have the authority to advise the governor and the legislature on
9 youth-related issues in New York. The commission shall consist of indi-
10 viduals who have an understanding of the needs of young people in the
11 state, or experience with children and youth programs or youth organiza-
12 tions, or involvement with school or community activities. The members
13 of the commission shall represent the diversity of ethnicity, race,
14 gender and sexual orientation of the people of New York and shall be
15 residents of the state.
16 2. The commission shall consist of seventeen members, each of whom
17 shall be between the ages of twelve and twenty-three years at the time
18 of appointment. One member shall be appointed by each of the Mayors of
19 the cities of New York, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse, Albany
20 and Mount Vernon; ten members shall be appointed by the governor from
21 each of the following regions of the state:
22 (a) the western region, which shall consist of Niagara, Erie, Chautau-
23 qua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10606-01-5
S. 6180 2
1 (b) the finger lakes region, which shall consist of Orleans, Genesee,
2 Wyoming, Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, and Seneca counties;
3 (c) the southern tier region, which shall consist of Steuben, Schuyl-
4 er, Tompkins, Chemung, Tioga, Chenango, Broome, and Delaware counties;
5 (d) the central region, which shall consist of Oswego, Cayuga, Ononda-
6 ga, Madison, and Cortland counties;
7 (e) the northern region, which shall consist of St. Lawrence, Lewis,
8 Jefferson, Hamilton, Essex, Clinton, and Franklin counties;
9 (f) the Mohawk valley region, which shall consist of Oneida, Herkimer,
10 Fulton, Montgomery, Otsego, and Schoharie counties;
11 (g) the capital district region, which shall consist of Albany, Colum-
12 bia, Greene, Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Rensselaer
13 counties;
14 (h) the Hudson valley region, which shall consist of Sullivan, Ulster,
15 Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties;
16 (i) the New York city region, which shall consist of Manhattan, Bronx,
17 Queens, Brooklyn, and Richmond counties; and
18 (j) the Long Island region, which shall consist of Nassau and Suffolk
19 counties.
20 3. Members shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing authori-
21 ties. The governor shall designate one of the members of the youth
22 commission to serve as chair.
23 4. Members shall serve a term of two years. Vacancies in membership of
24 the commission occurring from any cause shall be filled by the appoint-
25 ing authority authorized to make the original appointment of the member
26 whose office becomes vacant.
27 5. Members of the commission shall not be compensated for their
28 services nor shall they be reimbursed for their expenses.
29 6. The commission shall meet at least quarterly. The deliberations,
30 meeting and other proceedings of the commission shall be governed by
31 article seven of the public officers law. Any one or more members of the
32 commission may participate in a meeting by means of a conference tele-
33 phone, conference video or similar communications equipment allowing all
34 persons participating in the meeting to hear each other at the same
35 time. Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person
36 at a meeting.
37 7. The commission shall have the authority to create, amend, and
38 repeal its own code of bylaws.
39 8. The commission shall have the following duties:
40 (a) to identify the concerns and needs of the children and youth of
41 New York;
42 (b) to examine existing social, economic, educational, and recreation-
43 al programs for children and youth of New York;
44 (c) to develop and propose plans that support or improve such
45 programs; and
46 (d) to make recommendations thereon to the governor and legislature.
47 9. The commission shall submit a report to the governor and legisla-
48 ture of its recommendations on or before October first of each calendar
49 year. Such report shall include recommendations on juvenile crime
50 prevention, job opportunities for youth, recreational activities for
51 teenagers, opportunities for effective participation by youth in the
52 governmental process, and changes in city and county regulations that
53 are necessary to improve the social, economic, educational, and recre-
54 ational advantages of children and youth.
55 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
