senate Bill S155

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Requires the use of gender-neutral terms in law

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status Via A1142 - Passed Senate & Assembly

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor Calendar
    • Passed Senate
    • Passed Assembly
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed/Vetoed by Governor

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Actions

view actions (9)
Assembly Actions - Lowercase
Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 22, 2023 returned to assembly
passed senate
3rd reading cal.131
substituted for s155
May 22, 2023 substituted by a1142
Jan 23, 2023 advanced to third reading
Jan 18, 2023 2nd report cal.
Jan 17, 2023 1st report cal.131
Jan 04, 2023 referred to judiciary

Votes

view votes

May 22, 2023 - floor Vote

A1142
46
15
floor
46
Aye
15
Nay
0
Absent
2
Excused
0
Abstained
show floor vote details

Floor Vote: May 22, 2023

aye (46)
nay (15)
excused (2)

Jan 17, 2023 - Judiciary committee Vote

S155
12
0
committee
12
Aye
0
Nay
6
Aye with Reservations
0
Absent
1
Excused
0
Abstained
show Judiciary committee vote details

Judiciary Committee Vote: Jan 17, 2023

aye (12)
aye wr (6)
excused (1)

Co-Sponsors

S155 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A1142
Law Section:
General Construction Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §22, Gen Con L
Versions Introduced in 2021-2022 Legislative Session:
S8440, A9428

S155 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the use of gender-neutral terms in law.

S155 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S155 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    155
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. KRUEGER, HOYLMAN, JACKSON -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on  Judici-
   ary
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the general construction law, in relation to requiring
   the use of gender-neutral terms in law

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  22  of the general construction law, as added by
 chapter 730 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
   § 22. Gender. Whenever words  of  the  masculine  or  feminine  gender
 appear  in any law, rule or regulation, unless the sense of the sentence
 indicates otherwise, they shall be deemed to  refer  to  [both  male  or
 female]  persons  OF ANY GENDER. This construction shall apply to gender
 indicative suffixes or prefixes as well as to gender  indicative  words.
 Whenever  the  reference is to a corporation, board, body, group, organ-
 ization or other entity comprising more than one person or to an  assem-
 blage  of  persons  or  to  an  inanimate  object the reference shall be
 construed to be neuter in gender.  HEREAFTER, IN ANY  LAW,  RULE,  REGU-
 LATION,  ORDINANCE  OR  RESOLUTION, GENDERED TERMS SHALL NOT BE USED AND
 GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO  "THEY",  "THEM"  AND
 "THEIRS", SHALL BE USED IN SUBSTITUTION THEREFOR AND WITH THE SAME FORCE
 AND  EFFECT; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, IF SUCH LAW, RULE, REGULATION, ORDINANCE
 OR RESOLUTION IS IN REFERENCE TO A SPECIFIC PERSON, THE LANGUAGE  REFER-
 RING  TO  SUCH  PERSON  SHALL  BE GENDERED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENDER
 IDENTITY OF SUCH PERSON.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01090-01-3

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