A 11557: Authorizes the form of submission and abstract for proposed amendments to the constitution submitted to the people to be determined by enactment in a separate joint resolution passed by both houses of the legislature at least 120 days prior to the general election where such amendment to the constitution shall be submitted.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 11557  IN ASSEMBLY June 1, 2026 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Walker) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the form of submission and abstract for proposed amendments to the constitution The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 4-108 of the election law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 8 to read as follows: 3 8. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or other law to 4 the contrary, the form in which a proposed amendment to the constitution 5 shall be submitted, and the abstract thereof, may be determined as part 6 of the concurrent resolution for the submission of such amendment, and 7 abstract thereof, to the people, or the form of submission and abstract 8 thereof may be determined in a separate concurrent resolution adopted by 9 both houses of the legislature at least one hundred twenty days prior to 10 the general election at which such amendment shall be submitted. The 11 legislature, in determining the form of submission and abstract under 12 this subdivision, shall use best efforts to comply with the plain 13 language requirements of subdivisions two and five, and shall further 14 use best efforts for such submission and abstract to score at an eighth 15 grade reading level or below as determined by the Automated Readability 16 Index score as calculated under subdivision six of this section, or 17 other comparable tool to evaluate reading levels. Provided, however, no 18 specific Automated Readability Index score shall be required. Such form 19 of submission and abstract determined in the manner provided for by this 20 subdivision shall be transmitted by the state board of elections as 21 otherwise provided in this chapter without amendment or alteration, 22 except that the state board of elections may assign to such proposed 23 amendment the ballot order number applicable thereto. 24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all 25 concurrent resolutions proposing amendments to the constitution that 26 achieve first passage by both houses of the legislature during the 27 2025-2026 legislative session and any concurrent resolutions proposing 28 amendments to the constitution agreed to by the legislature thereafter; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD15990-04-6 
 A. 11557 2 1 provided, however, that this act shall not apply to any concurrent 2 resolution proposing amendments to the constitution that achieved first 3 passage by both houses of the legislature during the 2023-2024 legisla- 4 tive session.