Authorizes the form of submission and abstract for proposed amendments to the constitution submitted to the people to be determined by enactment in a separate joint resolution passed by both houses of the legislature at least 120 days prior to the general election where such amendment to the constitution shall be submitted.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A11557REVISED 6/4/2026
SPONSOR: Rules (Walker) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, in relation to the form of submission
and abstract for proposed amendments to the constitution
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To authorize the legislature to determine the form in which a proposed
Amendment to the constitution shall be submitted to the people.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill would amend section 4-108 of the election law by
adding a new subdivision 8, to authorize the legislature to determine
the form in which a proposed amendment to the constitution shall be
submitted to the people, as well as the abstract thereof. The legisla-
ture, in determining the form of submission and abstract, would be
required to use best efforts to comply with plain language requirements
and score at an eighth grade reading level or below. Such form of
submission and abstract shall be transmitted by the state board of
elections without amendment or alteration.
Section two of the bill would provide for the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Ballot measures that propose amendments to the constitution offer a
unique opportunity for New York voters to directly shape the future of
their state. Given the importance of such proposals, it is in the
state's interest to present voters with the clearest and most accurate
description of what these proposals would actually do. Although the
legislature is tasked with drafting the legal text of the proposed
amendment itself - and is, thus, best suited to explain the meaning of
such text - the legislature does not currently have the authority to
offer its own plain language description to the voters. This bill would,
thus, authorize the legislature to determine the form in which a
proposed constitution amendment shall be submitted to the people.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all concur-
rent resolutions proposing amendments to the constitution that achieve
first passage by both houses of the legislature during the 2025-2026
legislative session and any agreed to by the legislature thereafter;
provided, however, that this act shall not'apply to any concurrent
resolution proposing amendments to the constitution that achieved first
passage by both houses of the legislature during the 2023-2024 legisla-
tive session.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
11557
IN ASSEMBLY
June 1, 2026
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Walker) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the form of submission
and abstract for proposed amendments to the constitution
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 4-108 of the election law is amended by adding a
2 new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
3 8. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or other law to
4 the contrary, the form in which a proposed amendment to the constitution
5 shall be submitted, and the abstract thereof, may be determined as part
6 of the concurrent resolution for the submission of such amendment, and
7 abstract thereof, to the people, or the form of submission and abstract
8 thereof may be determined in a separate concurrent resolution adopted by
9 both houses of the legislature at least one hundred twenty days prior to
10 the general election at which such amendment shall be submitted. The
11 legislature, in determining the form of submission and abstract under
12 this subdivision, shall use best efforts to comply with the plain
13 language requirements of subdivisions two and five, and shall further
14 use best efforts for such submission and abstract to score at an eighth
15 grade reading level or below as determined by the Automated Readability
16 Index score as calculated under subdivision six of this section, or
17 other comparable tool to evaluate reading levels. Provided, however, no
18 specific Automated Readability Index score shall be required. Such form
19 of submission and abstract determined in the manner provided for by this
20 subdivision shall be transmitted by the state board of elections as
21 otherwise provided in this chapter without amendment or alteration,
22 except that the state board of elections may assign to such proposed
23 amendment the ballot order number applicable thereto.
24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all
25 concurrent resolutions proposing amendments to the constitution that
26 achieve first passage by both houses of the legislature during the
27 2025-2026 legislative session and any concurrent resolutions proposing
28 amendments to the constitution agreed to by the legislature thereafter;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15990-04-6
A. 11557 2
1 provided, however, that this act shall not apply to any concurrent
2 resolution proposing amendments to the constitution that achieved first
3 passage by both houses of the legislature during the 2023-2024 legisla-
4 tive session.
