Supporters for changing New York's criminal justice laws have a to-do list for the state Assembly when lawmakers return for a brief, two-day session starting next Tuesday.
An agenda has not been formally announced by the Assembly's Democratic leadership.
But after lawmakers narrowly approved a measure to automatically seal many criminal records for the first time in the chamber, it's unclear how much appetite is left within the chamber itself for similar measures.
Advocates are calling for:
- A bill that would make it easier to challenge convictions and clear wrongful convictions from their record, expanding it beyond the scope of when DNA evidence emerges.
- A proposal to address staffing shortages for public defenders with a student loan forgiveness program.
- A constitutional amendment that is meant to address pay for people who work for very low wages while prison, which has been excluded from the outlawing of slavery.
- A measure that would give judges discretion in Family Court cases in which they could continue to allow contact between children and their families of origin when a parent's rights are involuntarily terminated.
“When the Assembly reconvenes next week, Speaker Heastie and legislators must prioritize critically important legislation that already passed the Senate, including the No Slavery in NY Act, legislation to increase student loan aid for attorneys serving the public interest, measures to preserve New York’s finite rent-stabilized housing stock, foster care system reforms and more," the Legal Aid Society said in a statement. "Decisive and immediate action on these bills is especially needed as both the budget and subsequent weeks of session largely failed to advance a number of consequential legislation that our clients and their communities need and rightly deserve.”
State lawmakers were scheduled to end their legislative session earlier this month and there are hundreds of bills about to be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk for her consideration.