Amends the list of persons eligible to succeed the governor in the event that the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor as a result of an attack or a natural or peacetime disaster and the lieutenant governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly are unable to discharge such duties.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3995
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 30, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BORES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the New York state defense emergency act, in relation to
persons eligible to succeed the governor
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "unfore-
seen circumstances act".
§ 2. Section 5 of article 1-A of chapter 784 of the laws of 1951
constituting the New York state defense emergency act, as amended by
chapter 420 of the laws of 1968, is amended to read as follows:
§ 5. Persons eligible to succeed governor. If, as a result of an
attack or a natural or peacetime disaster, the office of governor
becomes vacant and each of the lieutenant governor, the temporary presi-
dent of the senate and the speaker of the assembly is unable to
discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor or is absent
from the state, then the officer of the state who is (a) highest in
order of the following list, (b) not otherwise unable to discharge such
powers and duties, and (c) not absent from the state, shall act as
governor: attorney general, comptroller, commissioner of transporta-
tion, commissioner of health, commissioner of [commerce] ECONOMIC DEVEL-
OPMENT, [industrial] commissioner OF LABOR, [chairman] CHAIRPERSON of
the public service commission, [secertary] SECRETARY of state.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04313-01-5
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