Assembly BillIntroduced
A 2161: Prohibits municipal corporations from refusing resettlement of asylum seekers from other municipal corporations in the state, provided that the resettling municipal corporation covers the costs of such resettlement, and no property of the municipal corporation receiving such asylum seekers is used without such municipal corporation's consent.
What A 2161 does, verified January 11, 2026
The proposed law aims to prevent municipal corporations in New York from refusing to accept asylum seekers from other municipalities. Asylum seekers are individuals who change their country of residence to seek temporary or permanent residence in another country and have applied for asylum or are eligible to apply. A resettling municipal corporation must cover the costs of resettlement, including continuing shelter costs, and obtain the consent of the municipal corporation into which the asylum seekers are being resettled. No property owned by the municipal corporation can be used for resettlement without the consent of the municipal corporation.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to local governments (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 2161
- What is the current status of A 2161?
- As of January 11, 2026, A 2161 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to local governments".
- Did A 2161 pass?
- Not yet. A 2161 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 2161, and where is it now?
- A 2161 was authored by Asm. Jenifer Rajkumar with 1 coauthor. Its committee of record is Assembly Local Government.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to local governments |
| Jan. 15, 2025 | referred to local governments |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 15, 2025 · 337 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2161 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 15, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR, RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to prohibiting municipal corporations from refusing resettlement of asylum seekers from other municipal corporations in the state The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new 2 section 98-c to read as follows: 3 § 98-c. Resettlement of asylum seekers. 1. No municipal corporation in 4 the state shall refuse, prohibit, or otherwise prevent a resettling 5 municipal corporation from resettling asylum seekers into such municipal 6 corporation, provided, however, that: 7 (a) Such resettling municipal corporation shall cover all costs of 8 such resettlement including, but not limited to, continuing costs of 9 shelter for such asylum seekers; and 10 (b) No property owned by the municipal corporation into which asylum 11 seekers are being resettled shall be used for such resettlement without 12 the consent of such municipal corporation. 13 2. For the purposes of this section the following terms shall have the 14 following meanings: 15 (a) "Asylum seeker" means an individual who changes their country of 16 usual residence to seek temporary or permanent residence in another 17 country, and who has applied for asylum under 8 U.S. Code § 1158 or is 18 eligible to apply; or who is a refugee as defined by section 101(a)(42) 19 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 20 (b) "Resettling municipal corporation" means a municipal corporation 21 in the state that is assisting asylum seekers with resettlement into 22 another municipal corporation in the state. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04110-01-5
Text of A 2161 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions