NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7431
SPONSOR: Walker TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the election law
relating to establishing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New
York, establishing rights of action for denying or abridging of the
right of any member of a protected class to vote, providing assistance
to language-minority groups, requiring certain political subdivisions to
receive preclearance for potential violations of the NYVRA, and creating
civil liability for voter intimidation, as proposed in legislative bills
numbers S. 1046-E and A. 6678-E, in relation to the effectiveness there-
of
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to amend the effective date of Chapter 226
of the Laws of 2022 in order to effectuate the intent of the law.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of this bill would change the effective date of Chapter 226
of the Laws of 2022 from immediate to July 1, 2023.
Section two would establish the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York will not be the first state to pass its own voting rights act
as California and Washington have already done so. However, the New York
Voting rights act builds upon the demonstrated track record of success
in California and Washington, as well as the historic success of the
federal voting rights act by offering the most comprehensive state law
protections for the right to vote in the United States. Chapter 226 of
the Laws of 2022 law addresses both a wide variety of long-overlooked
infringements on the right to vote and also make New York a robust
national leader in voting rights at a time when too many other states
are trying to restrict access to the franchise. This chapter amendment
would change the effective date to July 1, 2023.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect on the same date and in the same manner as
Chapter 226 of the laws of 2022 amending the election law relating to,
the establishment of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act as proposed in
legislative bills numbers A.6678E and 5.1046E takes effect.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7431
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 19, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Election Law
AN ACT to amend a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the election law
relating to establishing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New
York, establishing rights of action for denying or abridging of the
right of any member of a protected class to vote, providing assistance
to language-minority groups, requiring certain political subdivisions
to receive preclearance for potential violations of the NYVRA, and
creating civil liability for voter intimidation, as proposed in legis-
lative bills numbers S. 1046-E and A. 6678-E, in relation to the
effectiveness thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 5 of a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the
2 election law relating to establishing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights
3 Act of New York, establishing rights of action for denying or abridging
4 of the right of any member of a protected class to vote, providing
5 assistance to language-minority groups, requiring certain political
6 subdivisions to receive preclearance for potential violations of the
7 NYVRA, and creating civil liability for voter intimidation, as proposed
8 in legislative bills numbers S. 1046-E and A. 6678-E, is amended to read
9 as follows:
10 § 5. This act shall take effect [immediately; provided, however, that
11 paragraph (c) of subdivision seven of section 17-206 of the election law
12 as added by section four of this act shall take effect one year after it
13 shall have become a law; and provided further, however,] July 1, 2023;
14 provided that section 17-208 of the election law as added by section
15 four of this act shall take effect three years after it shall have
16 become a law; and provided further, however, that section 17-210 of the
17 election law, as added by section four of this act, shall take effect
18 one year after the attorney general certifies that the office of the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03949-01-3
A. 7431 2
1 attorney general is prepared to execute the duties assigned in section
2 four of this act, if after the expiration of one year the attorney
3 general requires more time to certify that the office of the attorney
4 general is prepared to execute the duties assigned in section four of
5 this act, the attorney general, may, for good cause shown, apply to the
6 governor for such an extension of time. The governor may grant or deny
7 an extension of up to one year according to his or her discretion. The
8 attorney general shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission
9 upon the occurrence of the enactment of the legislation provided for in
10 section four of this act in order that the commission may maintain an
11 accurate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws
12 of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions
13 of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public
14 officers law.
15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
