Bill Text: NY A07565 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to county, city, village or town commissions on human rights; adds additional human rights protections.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-11-25 - SIGNED CHAP.560 [A07565 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A07565-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7565

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       May 9, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. BARRETT -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Local Governments

        AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to county,  city,
          village or town commissions on human rights

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

     1    Section 1. Section 239-o of the general municipal law, as  amended  by
     2  chapter 413 of the laws of 1964, is amended to read as follows:
     3    §  239-o.  Creation, appointment and terms. The governing board of any
     4  county, city, village or town may by resolution create a  commission  on
     5  human  rights. The governing board shall determine the number of members
     6  of such commission, the terms of the members, the manner of  appointment
     7  of  the  members,  the  selection of a chairman and the compensation, if
     8  any, to be paid to them. In selecting the membership of the  commission,
     9  the  governing  board  shall  take into consideration the various [reli-
    10  gious, racial, nationality] ages, races, creed, color, national  origin,
    11  sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex,
    12  disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, mari-
    13  tal  status, domestic violence victim status and political groups in the
    14  community. The establishment of such a commission at one level of  local
    15  government  shall  not  preclude  establishment  of such a commission at
    16  other levels of local government.
    17    § 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 239-q  of  the  general
    18  municipal law, as amended by chapter 958 of the laws of 1968, is amended
    19  to read as follows:
    20    (a)  To  foster  mutual  respect  and understanding among all [racial,
    21  religious and nationality] ages, races, creed, color,  national  origin,
    22  sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex,
    23  disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, mari-
    24  tal status and domestic violence victim status groups in the community.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09971-04-9
        A. 7565                             2

     1    §  3. Subdivisions (a) and (b) of section 239-r of the general munici-
     2  pal law, as amended by chapter 958 of the laws of 1968, are  amended  to
     3  read as follows:
     4    (a)  To  receive  complaints  of  alleged discrimination because of an
     5  individual's age, race, creed, color or national origin,  sexual  orien-
     6  tation,  gender identity or expression, military status, marital status,
     7  sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial  status,
     8  marital  status  or  domestic violence victim status, to seek the active
     9  assistance of the division of human rights in the solution of complaints
    10  which fall within the jurisdiction of the division and  to  prepare  its
    11  own  plans  in  the case of other complaints with a view to reducing and
    12  eliminating such alleged discrimination through the process  of  confer-
    13  ence, conciliation and persuasion.
    14    (b)  To hold conferences, and other public meetings in the interest of
    15  the constructive resolution of [racial, religious and nationality]  age,
    16  race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity
    17  or  expression,  military  status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic
    18  characteristics, familial status, marital status and  domestic  violence
    19  victim  status group tensions and the prejudice and discrimination occa-
    20  sioned thereby.
    21    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.