New York State Legislative Agenda

Upon taking office, City Bar President Sheila S. Boston identified six priorities built around her vision of a Bar of Hope that would rise to face the unprecedented challenges confronting New York and the Nation. Those priorities are: COVID-19 Recovery Projects; Criminal Justice Reform; Access to Justice; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Protection of the Rule of Law; and Mental Health and Wellness.

The City Bar’s 2022 New York State Legislative Agenda draws on these priorities and is rooted in our mission to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest. The agenda focuses on positions relevant to the current legislative debate or of particular importance to the City Bar, as well as legislative proposals drafted by our committees. The City Bar’s committees generate dozens of reports over the course of each legislative session and this agenda represents only a portion of those positions.

For a full directory of City Bar reports, including positions on regulatory changes and our federal and international work, please visit our website.

The Judiciary, The Profession and the Fair, Effective Administration of Justice

• Support Adequate Funding for Civil Legal Services in the Judiciary Budget
• Simplify New York State’s Courts through Restructuring
• Reform and Modernize the Administration of Class Actions in New York’s Courts
• Permit Nonresident Attorneys to Practice in New York without Maintaining a Physical Office in State

Good Government

• Replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE)
• Reform the Open Meetings Law to Permit Hybrid Format
• Build upon Reforms to Further Modernize and Secure New York’s Voting System and Election Law

Criminal Justice Reform

• Advance Policies to Address Mass Incarceration
• Enact the Second Chance Amendment
• Create a First-time Felony Diversion Court
• Clarify Registration Requirements for Individuals Convicted of Level One Sex Offenses from Out of State

Housing and Homelessness

• Expand the Right to Counsel for Tenants Facing Eviction Statewide
• Provide Internet Access to Individuals Living in Temporary Housing throughout New York State
• Increase Needs Allowance for Residents Living in Shelters Serving Meals

Business and Consumer Affairs

• Regulate the Use of Noncompete Agreements for Lower-Salary Employees
• Support Long-Established Practices of Business-to-Business Arbitration Proceedings
• Combat Cruel Commercial Companion Animal Breeding
• Enact the Consumer and Small Business Protection Act