S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7430
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             October 12, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  GOUNARDES,  MAY,  RYAN  -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing  that  it
   is  an unlawful discriminatory practice to deny a refugee resettlement
   in certain instances

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative  findings.  The  legislature hereby finds and
 declares all of the following:
   a. Under federal law, a refugee is a person  who  is  forced  to  flee
 their  country  of  origin due to persecution, or a well-founded fear of
 persecution, based upon their religion,  nationality,  membership  in  a
 particular social group, or political opinion;
   b.  At  the  end  of  2020, there were 82.4 million forcibly displaced
 people in the world, 25.9 million of which were refugees. This is double
 the recorded number in 2010, and the highest it has ever been;
   c. Recognizing the importance  of  refugee  resettlement,  the  United
 States created the Refugee Act of 1980;
   d.  Since  1980,  the  United  States Refugee Resettlement program has
 saved more than 3.6 million refugees,  and  resettled  them  across  the
 country;
   e.  New  York was one of the top four states in the country resettling
 the most refugees in 2020;
   f. On September 19, 2016, the United  Nations General  Assembly  unan-
 imously  adopted  the  New  York  Declaration for Refugees and Migrants,
 which reaffirms the importance of the international refugee  regime  and
 contains  a  wide  range  of commitments to strengthen and enhance mech-
 anisms to protect these individuals;
   g. Research from reputable sources including the Fiscal Policy  Insti-
 tute,  Urban  Institute,  Pew  Research Center, and New American Economy
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13181-02-1
              

 S. 7430                             2
 
 find a positive economic and social impact of refugees across  New  York
 State;
   h.  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  reaffirmed New York State's commitment to
 helping refugees on August 19, 2021 by welcoming those fleeing Afghanis-
 tan;
   i. The Statue of Liberty, a national monument and icon of freedom that
 has been welcoming immigrants from across the world to  New  York  State
 since 1886, states, "Give me your tired, your poor,  your huddled masses
 yearning  to  breathe  free,  the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
 Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift  my  lamp  beside
 the golden door!"
   §  2.  The  executive  law is amended by adding a new section 296-e to
 read as follows:
   § 296-E. UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES RELATING  TO  REFUGEES.  IT
 SHALL BE AN UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE FOR THE STATE, OR ANY AGEN-
 CY  OR  BUREAU  THEREOF,  OR  FOR  ANY  OTHER  ENTITY  TO DENY A REFUGEE
 RESETTLEMENT ANYWHERE WITHIN THE STATE BASED ON ANY CRITERION, METHOD OF
 ADMINISTRATION, OR PRACTICE THAT HAS THE PURPOSE OR EFFECT OF  DISCRIMI-
 NATING  ON  THE BASIS OF AGE, RACE, CREED, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, RELI-
 GION, ETHNICITY, SEXUAL  ORIENTATION,  GENDER  IDENTITY  OR  EXPRESSION,
 MILITARY  STATUS, FAMILIAL STATUS, PREDISPOSING GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS,
 DISABILITY, MARITAL STATUS, OR STATUS AS A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.