Bill Text: NY S00155 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 155

Introduced

Bill Title: Requires the use of gender-neutral terms in law.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-05-22 - SUBSTITUTED BY A1142 [S00155 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00155-Introduced.html




                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           155

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. KRUEGER, HOYLMAN, JACKSON -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on  Judici-
          ary

        AN  ACT  to amend the general construction law, in relation to requiring
          the use of gender-neutral terms in law

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

     1    Section  1.  Section  22  of the general construction law, as added by
     2  chapter 730 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 22. Gender. Whenever words  of  the  masculine  or  feminine  gender
     4  appear  in any law, rule or regulation, unless the sense of the sentence
     5  indicates otherwise, they shall be deemed to  refer  to  [both  male  or
     6  female]  persons  of any gender. This construction shall apply to gender
     7  indicative suffixes or prefixes as well as to gender  indicative  words.
     8  Whenever  the  reference is to a corporation, board, body, group, organ-
     9  ization or other entity comprising more than one person or to an  assem-
    10  blage  of  persons  or  to  an  inanimate  object the reference shall be
    11  construed to be neuter in gender.  Hereafter, in any  law,  rule,  regu-
    12  lation,  ordinance  or  resolution, gendered terms shall not be used and
    13  gender-neutral terms, including but not limited to  "they",  "them"  and
    14  "theirs", shall be used in substitution therefor and with the same force
    15  and  effect; provided, however, if such law, rule, regulation, ordinance
    16  or resolution is in reference to a specific person, the language  refer-
    17  ring  to  such  person  shall  be gendered in accordance with the gender
    18  identity of such person.
    19    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01090-01-3