New York State Legislative Sessions start on January 9 – before taking an end of year break, make a call to your State Senator and State Assembly member to remind them of your priorities for the coming year. Some of the legislation we hope to see in 2019 includes: (and very much cribbed from the NYCLU’s priorities)
- Updating New York’s old and outdated voting laws – address early voting, automatic registration, allow no-excuse absentee ballots.
- Pass the Reproductive Healthcare Act – remove abortion from our criminal code, expand access to contraception.
- Reform our criminal justice system – fix our bail system, address discrimination, eliminate the Blindfold Law (which allows prosecutors to withhold information from the accused), address barriers to speedy trials
- Pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) – ensure that gender identity and expression fall within New York’s anti-discrimination statutes
This is hardly a comprehensive list, but if any or all of these are important to you, make sure your representatives know where you stand!