Senate Bill S687

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    687
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 9, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
 
 AN ACT to amend the election  law,  in  relation  to  designating  every
   government  entity which issues licenses to carry, possess, repair and
   dispose of firearms as participating agencies for  voter  registration
   form distribution and assistance
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 5-211 of the election law,
 as amended by chapter 265 of the laws of 2013, is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   Each  agency designated as a participating agency under the provisions
 of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution
 of voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this  section.
 The  following  offices  which  provide public assistance and/or provide
 state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons
 with disabilities are hereby designated as voter registration  agencies:
 designated as the state agencies which provide public assistance are the
 office  of  children  and  family  services, the office of temporary and
 disability assistance and the department of health. Also  designated  as
 public  assistance  agencies  are  all agencies of local government that
 provide such assistance.  Designated  as  state  agencies  that  provide
 programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabil-
 ities  are  the  department  of labor, office for the aging, division of
 veterans' affairs, office of mental health,  office  of  vocational  and
 educational  services  for  individuals with disabilities, commission on
 quality of care for the mentally disabled, office [of mental retardation
 and] FOR PEOPLE WITH  developmental  disabilities,  commission  for  the
 blind,  office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, the office of
 the advocate for the disabled and all offices which administer  programs
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02402-01-9

 S. 687                              2
 
 established or funded by such agencies. Additional [state] PARTICIPATING
 agencies  designated as voter registration offices are the department of
 state [and], the [division] DISTRICT OFFICES  of  THE  workers'  compen-
 sation  BOARD AND EVERY COURT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY WHEN SUCH ENTI-
 TIES ARE ISSUING LICENSES  TO  CARRY,  POSSESS,  REPAIR  OR  DISPOSE  OF
 FIREARMS.    Such agencies shall be required to offer voter registration
 forms to persons upon initial  application  for  services,  FOR  PARTIC-
 IPATION  IN  ACTIVITIES  OR  FOR  USE OF FACILITIES, AND UPON renewal or
 recertification for services and UPON change of address relating to such
 services, PARTICIPATION IN  ACTIVITIES  OR  USE  OF  FACILITIES  OF  THE
 AGENCY. Such agencies shall also be responsible for providing assistance
 to  applicants  in  completing  voter  registration forms, receiving and
 transmitting the completed application form from all applicants who wish
 to have such form transmitted to the appropriate board of elections. The
 state board of elections shall, together  with  representatives  of  the
 UNITED  STATES  department  of defense, develop and implement procedures
 for including recruitment offices of the  armed  forces  of  the  United
 States as voter registration offices when such offices are so designated
 by  federal law. The state board OF ELECTIONS shall also make request of
 the United States [Immigration and Naturalization  Service]  CITIZENSHIP
 AND  IMMIGRATION  SERVICES  to  include applications for registration by
 mail with any materials which are given  to  new  citizens.  All  insti-
 tutions  of  the state university of New York and the city university of
 New York, shall, at the beginning of the school year, and again in Janu-
 ary of a year in which the president of  the  United  States  is  to  be
 elected,  provide  an application for VOTER registration to each student
 in each such institution. The state board of  elections  may,  by  regu-
 lation,  grant  a  waiver  from  any  or all of the requirements of this
 section to any office or program of an agency, if it determines that  it
 is  not  feasible for such office or program to administer such require-
 ment.
   § 2.  This act shall take effect on  the  one  hundred  twentieth  day
 after it shall have become a law, provided however, that effective imme-
 diately,  the  addition,  amendment  and/or repeal of any rules or regu-
 lations necessary for the implementation of this act  on  its  effective
 date  are  authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before
 such effective date.