NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8462

Senate Bill S8462

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jul 21, 2025	referred to rules

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2025-S8462 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8908
Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Add §838-c, Exec L

2025-S8462 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits local, state and federal law enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties; excludes certain protective masks.

2025-S8462 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8462

SPONSOR: FAHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to  prohibiting  law
enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise while
interacting with the public in the performance of their duties

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal
disguise while interacting with the public in performance of their
duties, except as specified.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the Executive Law by adding a new section 838-c which
states law enforcement officers shall not wear a mask or personal
disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their
duties, except for medical grade masks to prevent spread of disease;
masks to prevent exposure to smoke, biological and chemical agents;

facial covering to protect against extreme weather; or equipment needed
during water-rescue operations.

Section 2 is the severability clause.

Section 3 establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Across our state and nation, ICE has used masked tactics to sow fear and
paranoia in immigrant and minority communities. From the Bronx to Feder-
al Plaza, and the NYC Comptroller, people are being taken by masked
agents. Intensifying raids are putting citizens and noncitizens alike at
risk of being abducted by secret police. People are being taken off our
streets and disappeared to extra-national concentration camps without
due process.

This bill will ensure that ICE and all those who have the power to
enforce our laws are held accountable to the people through transparen-
cy. History teaches us that once police begin to hide their identity the
future of that nation is rarely free, stable, or democratic. This bill
will help to protect the rights of all people in New York and hinder the
proliferation of a secret police state.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S8462 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8462
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               July 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  FAHY,  SALAZAR,  MAYER, KRUEGER -- 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  prohibiting  law
   enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise  while
   interacting with the public in the performance of their duties
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section  838-c
 to read as follows:
   § 838-C. MASKS AND DISGUISES PROHIBITED.  1. A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
 SHALL  NOT WEAR ANY MASK OR PERSONAL DISGUISE WHILE INTERACTING WITH THE
 PUBLIC IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR  DUTIES,  EXCEPT  FOR  MEDICAL  GRADE
 MASKS THAT ARE SURGICAL OR N95 RESPIRATORS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE TRAN-
 SMISSION  OF  AIRBORNE DISEASES, MASKS DESIGNED TO PROTECT AGAINST EXPO-
 SURE TO SMOKE DURING A  FIRE  INVOLVED  SITUATION,  MASKS  NECESSARY  TO
 PERFORM  DUTIES  DURING  A  WATER  RESCUE  OPERATION,  MASKS  RELATED TO
 PROTECTION AGAINST EXPOSURE TO BIOLOGICAL OR CHEMICAL AGENTS  DURING  AN
 INCIDENT  WHERE SUCH AGENTS MAY BE PRESENT, OR MASKS DESIGNED TO PROTECT
 AGAINST EXPOSURE TO COLD DURING A DECLARED WEATHER EMERGENCY.
   2. NOTWITHSTANDING SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS  SECTION,  SPECIAL  WEAPONS
 AND TACTICS (SWAT) TEAM OFFICERS ARE PERMITTED TO UTILIZE GEAR NECESSARY
 TO  PROTECT THEIR FACES FROM PHYSICAL HARM WHILE THEY PERFORM THEIR SWAT
 RESPONSIBILITIES.
   3. ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS SHALL BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED  BY  THEIR
 NAME OR BADGE NUMBER ON THEIR UNIFORMS.
   4.  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER" SHALL
 MEAN ANY OFFICER OF A LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAW  ENFORCEMENT  AGENCY,
 OR  ANY  PERSON  ACTING  ON  BEHALF  OF  A  LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAW
 ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
   5. A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE PUNISHABLE AS A MISDEMEANOR.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13411-02-5

 S. 8462                             2
 
   § 2. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
 sion, section or part of this act shall be  adjudged  by  any  court  of
 competent  jurisdiction  to  be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,
 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall  be  confined  in
 its  operation  to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section
 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
 the legislature that this act would  have  been  enacted  even  if  such
 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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