Bill Text: NY S00866 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to designating every government entity which issues licenses to carry, possess, repair and dispose of firearms as participating agencies for voter registration form distribution and assistance.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S00866 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00866-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           866

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 6, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections

        AN ACT to amend the election  law,  in  relation  to  designating  every
          government  entity which issues licenses to carry, possess, repair and
          dispose of firearms as participating agencies for  voter  registration
          form distribution and assistance

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 5-211 of the election law,
     2  as amended by section 7 of part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of 2022, is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    Each agency designated as a participating agency under the  provisions
     5  of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution
     6  of  voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this section.
     7  The following offices which provide  public  assistance  and/or  provide
     8  state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons
     9  with  disabilities are hereby designated as voter registration agencies:
    10  designated as the state agencies which provide public assistance are the
    11  office of children and family services,  the  office  of  temporary  and
    12  disability  assistance  and the department of health. Also designated as
    13  public assistance agencies are all agencies  of  local  government  that
    14  provide  such  assistance.  Designated  as  state  agencies that provide
    15  programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabil-
    16  ities are the department of labor, office for the aging,  department  of
    17  veterans'  services,  office  of mental health, office of vocational and
    18  educational services for individuals with  disabilities,  commission  on
    19  quality of care for the mentally disabled, office for people with devel-
    20  opmental  disabilities,  commission  for  the blind, office of addiction
    21  services and supports, the office of the advocate for the  disabled  and
    22  all  offices  which  administer  programs  established or funded by such
    23  agencies. Additional participating agencies designated as  voter  regis-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00434-01-3
        S. 866                              2

     1  tration  offices are the department of state and the district offices of
     2  the workers' compensation board and  every  court  and  law  enforcement
     3  agency when such entities are issuing licenses to carry, possess, repair
     4  or  dispose of firearms.  Such agencies shall be required to offer voter
     5  registration forms to persons upon  initial  application  for  services,
     6  upon  renewal  or  recertification for services, participation in activ-
     7  ities or use of facilities of the agency, and  upon  change  of  address
     8  relating  to  such services. Such agencies shall also be responsible for
     9  providing assistance to  applicants  in  completing  voter  registration
    10  forms,  receiving  and  transmitting the completed application form from
    11  all applicants who wish to have such form transmitted to the appropriate
    12  board of elections. The state board of elections  shall,  together  with
    13  representatives  of the United States department of defense, develop and
    14  implement procedures for including  recruitment  offices  of  the  armed
    15  forces  of  the  United  States  as voter registration offices when such
    16  offices are so designated by federal law.  The state board of  elections
    17  shall also make request of the United States Citizenship and Immigration
    18  Services to include applications for registration by mail with any mate-
    19  rials which are given to new citizens.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    21  it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    22  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    23  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
    24  before such date.