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Senate Bill S4204

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Establishes the New York state democracy commission

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

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2023-S4204 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Finance
Law Section:
Elections
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2021-2022: S8060
2025-2026: S6343

2023-S4204 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the New York state democracy commission to report on certain democracy issues and how to prevent attempts to illegitimately overturn a lawful election on a local, state and federal level.

2023-S4204 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S4204 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4204
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 6, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. SANDERS, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to establish the New York state democracy commission; and provid-
   ing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative  findings. The legislature finds and declares
 that the American democracy was under attack on January 6, 2021  in  the
 United  States  Capitol  by  insurrectionists attempting to overturn the
 legal election of Joseph Biden for the United States presidency  through
 violence,  intimidation  and by other means. There is legitimate concern
 that this attempt to overthrow our democracy will  occur  again  at  the
 federal, state and local levels.
   §  2.  1.  A  temporary  state commission, to be known as the New York
 state democracy commission, hereinafter referred to as  the  commission,
 is  hereby  created  to  make recommendations and create a report of its
 findings relating to issues involving:
   a. the state of democracy in New York state;
   b. how to protect, strengthen and expand democracy in New  York  state
 on the state and local levels;
   c. how to expand voter registration and voter turnout;
   d. how to strengthen the integrity of the voting process;
   e. ways to improve civics education in schools; and
   f.  how  to  prevent  attempts  to  illegitimately  overturn  a lawful
 election on a local, state and federal level  taking  into  account  the
 events  that  led  up  to the January 6, 2021 insurrection in the United
 States Capitol and events thereafter to undermine American democracy.
   2. a.  The  commission  shall  consist  of  thirteen  members,  to  be
 appointed  as  follows:  six members shall be appointed by the governor;
 two members shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
 two members shall be appointed by  the  speaker  of  the  assembly;  one

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08520-01-3

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