Assembly Bill A1722

Signed By Governor
2023-2024 Legislative Session

Requires proposed amendment to the constitution or other question provided by law to be submitted to a statewide vote be submitted to the people for their approval in plain language

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status Via S1381 - Signed by Governor


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2023-A1722 - Details

Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§1-104, 4-108 & 4-116, El L
Versions Introduced in 2021-2022 Legislative Session:
A10708

2023-A1722 - Summary

Requires a proposed amendment to the constitution or other question provided by law to be submitted to a statewide vote be submitted to the people for their approval in plain language which is deemed to be no higher than an eighth grade reading level.

2023-A1722 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1722
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 20, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. ZINERMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Election Law
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the election law, in relation to the form in which a
   proposed amendment to the constitution or other question  provided  by
   law  to  be  submitted  to  a statewide vote shall be submitted to the
   people for their approval

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  1-104 of the election law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 40 to read as follows:
   40. (A) THE TERM "PLAIN LANGUAGE" WHEN APPLIED TO ANY STATEMENT OF THE
 FORM IN WHICH A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OR OTHER QUESTION
 PROVIDED BY LAW TO BE SUBMITTED TO  A  STATEWIDE  VOTE  APPEARS  ON  THE
 BALLOT  SHALL  MEAN  A  STATEMENT  WHICH,  IN ADDITION TO SATISFYING THE
 REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH D  OF  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  SECTION
 4-108 OF THIS CHAPTER: (I) SCORES NO HIGHER THAN EIGHTH GRADE OR "GOOD",
 AS  INDICATED  BY  A  SCORE  OF A NINE ON THE AUTOMATED READING INDEX AS
 CALCULATED PURSUANT TO THE FORMULA SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH  (B)  OF  THIS
 SUBDIVISION,  (II)  CONTAINS  NO  MORE  THAN ONE PASSIVE SENTENCE, (III)
 AVOIDS THE USE OF SEMICOLONS, USING MULTIPLE SENTENCES AS NECESSARY, AND
 (IV) DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY DOUBLE NEGATIVES.
   (B) THE AUTOMATED READING INDEX SHALL BE CALCULATED ACCORDING  TO  THE
 FOLLOWING FORMULA:
   (I)  DIVIDE THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS BY THE NUMBER OF WORDS AND MULTI-
 PLY THAT NUMBER BY 4.71.
   (II) DIVIDE THE NUMBER OF WORDS BY THE NUMBER OF SENTENCES AND  MULTI-
 PLY THAT NUMBER BY 0.5.
   (III)  ADD  THE  RESULTS FROM SUBPARAGRAPHS (I) AND (II) OF THIS PARA-
 GRAPH.
   (IV) SUBTRACT 21.43 FROM THE RESULT  OF  SUBPARAGRAPH  (III)  OF  THIS
 PARAGRAPH AND ROUND TO THE NEAREST WHOLE NUMBER.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01430-01-3
              

co-Sponsors

2023-A1722A - Details

Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§1-104, 4-108 & 4-116, El L
Versions Introduced in 2021-2022 Legislative Session:
A10708

2023-A1722A - Summary

Requires a proposed amendment to the constitution or other question provided by law to be submitted to a statewide vote be submitted to the people for their approval in plain language which is deemed to be no higher than an eighth grade reading level.

2023-A1722A - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1722--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 20, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. ZINERMAN, DINOWITZ, WALKER, SILLITTI, TAYLOR,
   BURGOS, FALL, LEVENBERG,  SIMON,  AUBRY,  JEAN-PIERRE,  DE LOS SANTOS,
   TAPIA, NOVAKHOV -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election
   Law  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the  form  in  which  a
   proposed  amendment  to the constitution or other question provided by
   law to be submitted to a statewide vote  shall  be  submitted  to  the
   people for their approval
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 1-104 of the election law is amended  by  adding  a
 new subdivision 40 to read as follows:
   40. (A) THE TERM "PLAIN LANGUAGE" WHEN APPLIED TO ANY STATEMENT OF THE
 FORM IN WHICH A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OR OTHER QUESTION
 PROVIDED  BY  LAW  TO  BE  SUBMITTED  TO A STATEWIDE VOTE APPEARS ON THE
 BALLOT SHALL MEAN A STATEMENT  WHICH,  IN  ADDITION  TO  SATISFYING  THE
 REQUIREMENTS  SET  FORTH  IN  PARAGRAPH  D OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION
 4-108 OF THIS CHAPTER: (I) SCORES NO HIGHER THAN EIGHTH GRADE OR "GOOD",
 AS INDICATED BY A SCORE OF A NINE ON  THE  AUTOMATED  READING  INDEX  AS
 CALCULATED  PURSUANT  TO  THE FORMULA SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS
 SUBDIVISION, (II) CONTAINS NO MORE  THAN  ONE  PASSIVE  SENTENCE,  (III)
 AVOIDS THE USE OF SEMICOLONS, USING MULTIPLE SENTENCES AS NECESSARY, AND
 (IV) DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY DOUBLE NEGATIVES.
   (B)  THE  AUTOMATED READING INDEX SHALL BE CALCULATED ACCORDING TO THE
 FOLLOWING FORMULA:
   (I) DIVIDE THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS BY THE NUMBER OF WORDS AND  MULTI-
 PLY THAT NUMBER BY 4.71.
   (II)  DIVIDE THE NUMBER OF WORDS BY THE NUMBER OF SENTENCES AND MULTI-
 PLY THAT NUMBER BY 0.5.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01430-02-3
 A. 1722--A                          2
              

co-Sponsors

2023-A1722B (ACTIVE) - Details

Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§1-104, 4-108 & 4-116, El L
Versions Introduced in 2021-2022 Legislative Session:
A10708

2023-A1722B (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires a proposed amendment to the constitution or other question provided by law to be submitted to a statewide vote be submitted to the people for their approval in plain language which is deemed to be no higher than an eighth grade reading level.

2023-A1722B (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1722--B
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 20, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. ZINERMAN, DINOWITZ, WALKER, SILLITTI, TAYLOR,
   BURGOS, FALL, LEVENBERG,  SIMON,  AUBRY,  JEAN-PIERRE,  DE LOS SANTOS,
   TAPIA,  NOVAKHOV,  SOLAGES, JACKSON, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, FORREST, SHRESTHA
   -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law --  commit-
   tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
   mitted to said committee -- again reported from  said  committee  with
   amendments,  ordered  reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted to said
   committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the  form  in  which  a
   proposed  amendment  to the constitution or other question provided by
   law to be submitted to a statewide vote  shall  be  submitted  to  the
   people for their approval
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Paragraph d of subdivision 1 and subdivisions 2 and  3  of
 section  4-108  of  the  election  law, paragraph d of subdivision 1 and
 subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 136 of the laws of 1978 and subdivi-
 sion 3 as added by chapter 234 of the laws of 1976, are amended and four
 new subdivisions 4, 5, 6 and 7 are added to read as follows:
   d. In addition to the text, such transmittal shall contain an abstract
 of such proposed amendment, proposition or  question,  prepared  by  the
 state board of elections [concisely stating the purpose and effect ther-
 eof  in a clear and coherent manner using words with common and everyday
 meanings] IN PLAIN LANGUAGE.
   2. The form in which the proposed amendment, proposition  or  question
 is  to  be submitted shall consist [of] only [an abbreviated title indi-
 cating generally and briefly, and in a clear and coherent  manner  using
 words  with  common  and  every-day  meanings, the subject matter of the
 amendment, proposition or question] OF THE FOLLOWING: A.  A  DESCRIPTIVE
 TITLE  OF  UP  TO  FIFTEEN  WORDS,  WHICH  DESCRIBES THE TOPIC, GOAL, OR
 OUTCOME OF THE BALLOT QUESTION IN PLAIN LANGUAGE; B. A  SUMMARY  OF  THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01430-03-3
              

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