NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6234

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 07, 2025	referred to investigations and government operations

co-Sponsors

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A5647
Current Committee:: Senate Investigations And Government Operations
Law Section:: Cannabis Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §3, add §62-a, Cannabis L; add §312, Fin Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S8738
2023-2024: S1749, A10488

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the Cannabis Community Reinvestment Act; includes requirements for cannabis operators; includes the obligation to reinvest in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition including, if applicable, the community such operator is located in; provides for the review of reinvestment plans by the department of financial services.

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6234

SPONSOR: SANDERS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the cannabis law and the financial services law, in
relation to establishing the Cannabis Community Reinvestment Act

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would require operators in the cannabis industry to create a
plan to reinvest in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis
prohibition including, if ò applicable, the community such operator is
located in for purposes of social equity.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section One: Called the "Cannabis Community Reinvestment Act."

Section 2: "operator" means a license that acts as a cannabis producer
for the cultivation of cannabis, a cannabis processor, a cannabis
distributor and/or a cannabis retailer that has been in operation at

least two years.

Section 3: Applications by operators. Any applications submitted by a
multistate operator shall include a plan to reinvest in communities
disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition including, if appli-
cable, the community such operator is located in.

The operator shall contribute at least two percent of their annual
profits to minority communities that had disproportionate numbers', of
marijuana arrests as defined in the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation
Act.

The board shall determine the necessary criteria for such plan and shall
establish a scoring system to determine if such operators have fulfilled
their obligation under this section.

Section 4:

If the department of financial services determines that an operator is
failing to properly serve disadvantaged communities, specifically the
community they are serving, if applicable, or does not possess and/or
properly execute a social impact program within their business model,
such operator shall be notified and their license shall be marked for
further review.

The department of financial services shall determine what necessaryò
steps such operator shall take to fulfill the obligations under this
section and provide such information to the operator within thirty days
of marking such operator for further review. The operator will then have
sixty days to take such steps. If the department determines that such
steps or substantially similar steps, as determined by the board, were
not taken, the department may revoke such operator's license or
licenses. If such revocation occurs, such license or licenses shall be
auctioned off to another individual or business that qualifies under
section eighty-seven of this article.

Section 5: Effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2021, the "Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act" became law. This
law legalized recreational marijuana in New York.State. It also estab-
lished a new Office of Cannabis Management for the regulation of canna-
bis, created a regulated and taxed cannabis industry in New York, and
provided for various social and economic justice initiatives. This bill
would require operators in the cannabis industry to create a plan to
reinvest in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibi-
tion including, if applicable, the community such operator it located in
for purposes of social equity.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: A10488 (Zinerman) Died in Committee

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

Minimal

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
on or before such effective date.

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6234
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 7, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
   ment Operations
 
 AN ACT to amend the cannabis law and  the  financial  services  law,  in
   relation to establishing the Cannabis Community Reinvestment Act

   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 cited as the "Cannabis Communi-
 ty Reinvestment Act".
   § 2. Section 3 of the cannabis law is amended by adding a new subdivi-
 sion 37-a to read as follows:
   37-A. "OPERATOR" MEANS A LICENSEE THAT ACTS AS A CANNABIS PRODUCER FOR
 THE CULTIVATION OF CANNABIS, A CANNABIS PROCESSOR, A CANNABIS  DISTRIBU-
 TOR AND/OR A CANNABIS RETAILER, PROVIDED THAT SUCH BUSINESS HAS OPERATED
 FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS.
   §  3. The cannabis law is amended by adding a new section 62-a to read
 as follows:
   § 62-A. APPLICATIONS BY OPERATORS. ANY  APPLICATION  SUBMITTED  BY  AN
 OPERATOR  SHALL INCLUDE A PLAN TO REINVEST IN COMMUNITIES DISPROPORTION-
 ATELY IMPACTED BY CANNABIS PROHIBITION  INCLUDING,  IF  APPLICABLE,  THE
 COMMUNITY  SUCH OPERATOR IS LOCATED IN. THE OPERATOR SHALL CONTRIBUTE AT
 LEAST TWO PERCENT OF THEIR ANNUAL PROFITS TO COMMUNITIES  DISPROPORTION-
 ATELY  IMPACTED PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (G) OF SUBDIVISION FIVE OF SECTION
 EIGHTY-SEVEN OF THIS ARTICLE. THE BOARD SHALL  DETERMINE  THE  NECESSARY
 CRITERIA FOR SUCH PLAN AND SHALL ESTABLISH A SCORING SYSTEM TO DETERMINE
 IF SUCH OPERATORS HAVE FULFILLED THEIR OBLIGATION UNDER THIS SECTION.
   § 4. The financial services law is amended by adding a new section 312
 to read as follows:
   § 312. EVALUATION OF REINVESTMENT PLANS. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL EVALUATE
 THE PLANS BY OPERATORS, AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF THE CANNABIS LAW,
 TO  REINVEST IN SPECIFIED COMMUNITIES AND PROVIDE FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06013-01-5

 S. 6234                             2
 
 THE CANNABIS COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT, PURSUANT TO SECTION SIXTY-TWO-A
 OF THE CANNABIS LAW, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD.  IF THE  DEPARTMENT
 DETERMINES  THAT  AN OPERATOR IS FAILING TO PROPERLY SERVE DISADVANTAGED
 COMMUNITIES, SPECIFICALLY THE COMMUNITY THEY ARE SERVING, IF APPLICABLE,
 OR  DOES  NOT  POSSESS  AND/OR  PROPERLY EXECUTE A SOCIAL IMPACT PROGRAM
 WITHIN THEIR BUSINESS MODEL, SUCH OPERATOR SHALL BE NOTIFIED  AND  THEIR
 LICENSE  SHALL BE MARKED FOR FURTHER REVIEW. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DETER-
 MINE WHAT NECESSARY STEPS SUCH OPERATOR SHALL TAKE TO FULFILL THE  OBLI-
 GATIONS  UNDER THIS SECTION AND PROVIDE SUCH INFORMATION TO THE OPERATOR
 WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF MARKING SUCH OPERATOR FOR FURTHER  REVIEW.    SUCH
 OPERATOR  WILL THEN HAVE SIXTY DAYS TO TAKE SUCH STEPS.  NOTWITHSTANDING
 ANY PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, IF THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES  THAT
 SUCH  STEPS  OR SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR STEPS, AS DETERMINED BY THE BOARD,
 WERE NOT TAKEN, THE DEPARTMENT MAY REVOKE  SUCH  OPERATOR'S  LICENSE  OR
 LICENSES.  THE  DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH AN APPEALS PROCESS FOR OPERA-
 TORS THAT HAVE HAD THEIR LICENSES REVOKED.  IF SUCH  REVOCATION  OCCURS,
 SUCH LICENSE OR LICENSES SHALL BE AUCTIONED OFF TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL OR
 BUSINESS THAT QUALIFIES UNDER SECTION EIGHTY-SEVEN OF THE CANNABIS LAW.
   §  5.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S6234

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations Committee

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co-Sponsors

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

James Sanders Jr.

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

Nathalia Fernandez

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6234 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments