Senate Bill S8603

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8603

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment
to article 1 of the constitution, in relation to adding a right to
privacy

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would amend the New York State Constitution to explicitly
guarantee a fundamental right to privacy for all New Yorkers. By estab-
lishing a clear constitutional standard, this amendment affirms that
personal privacy is a core civil liberty and ensures that government
actions involving personal data are subject to the highest level of
scrutiny and accountability.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends the New York State Constitution to include a privacy
amendment.
              

Section 2: Sets the enactment date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New Yorkers live in an era where vast amounts of personal information
are routinely collected, stored, and shared by government and private
entities, often through digital systems that did not exist when many of
our current constitutional protections were conceived. While existing
laws protect against certain aspects of search and seizure and data
security, they do not provide explicit protection for personal privacy
in the modern age. Residents remain vulnerable to government overreach,
improper access to sensitive personal data, and the long-term conse-
quences of data misuse.

An explicit constitutional right to privacy is necessary to close the
gap and ensure that civil liberties keep pace with technological change.
This amendment would provide strong, uniform protection across all state
agencies and give courts clear guidance when evaluating governmental
intrusions into private life.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Effective after a vote of approval by the majority of voters in the
state of New York in the 2028 general election