Senate BillIntroduced
S 6656: Provides for electronic court appearance in a criminal action, anywhere in the state, at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction of the defendant; provides that the defendant must, after consultation with counsel, consent on the record; provides that the chief administrator of the courts must first approve the use of such electronic appearance.
What S 6656 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to expand the use of electronic court appearances in New York State. Currently, electronic appearances are only allowed for specific counties, but the bill would allow them statewide. The court's discretion would still be required to conduct electronic appearances, except in cases where a personal appearance is necessary. The defendant must consent to electronic appearances on the record, and the chief administrator of the courts must authorize their use. The bill would take effect immediately, with the amendment to the existing law being repealed upon its repeal.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO CODES (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 6656
- What is the current status of S 6656?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 6656 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 CODES".
- Did S 6656 pass?
- Not yet. S 6656 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 6656, and where is it now?
- S 6656 was authored by Sen. Joseph Griffo. Its committee of record is Senate Codes.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO CODES |
| Mar. 19, 2025 | REFERRED TO CODES |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, March 19, 2025 · 338 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6656 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 19, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to electronic court appearance statewide The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 182.20 of the criminal procedure 2 law, as separately amended by chapters 232, 279, and 285 of the laws of 3 2024, is amended to read as follows: 4 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as provided 5 in section 182.30 of this article, the court, in its discretion, may 6 dispense with the personal appearance of the defendant, except an 7 appearance at a hearing or trial, and conduct an electronic appearance 8 in connection with a criminal action [pending in Albany, Bronx, Broome,9Erie, Jefferson, Kings, Monroe, New York, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga,10Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland,11Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins, Chautauqua, Cattarau-12gus, Clinton, Essex, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Sullivan, Warren, Westches-13ter, Suffolk, Herkimer, Franklin, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Delaware,14Otsego or Schoharie county], provided that the chief administrator of 15 the courts has authorized the use of electronic appearance and the 16 defendant, after consultation with counsel, consents on the record. Such 17 consent shall be required at the commencement of each electronic appear- 18 ance to such electronic appearance. 19 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that 20 the amendment to subdivision 1 of section 182.20 of the criminal proce- 21 dure law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of 22 such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09903-01-5
Text of S 6656 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions