Senate BillIntroduced
S 7686: Includes Middle Eastern and North African persons in the definition of "minority group member" for purposes of participation by minority group members and women with respect to state contracts.
What S 7686 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to expand the definition of "minority group member" in the state of New York to include Middle Eastern and North African persons. This expansion is intended to promote participation by minority group members and women in state contracts. The bill proposes to amend the Executive Law to add a new paragraph (e) to subdivision 8, section 310, which lists Middle Eastern and North African persons as a recognized minority group. The amendments take effect immediately, but the repeal of the original section is contingent upon the repeal of the amendments.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 7686
- What is the current status of S 7686?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 7686 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 PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS".
- Did S 7686 pass?
- Not yet. S 7686 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 7686, and where is it now?
- S 7686 was authored by Sen. Nathalia Fernandez. Its committee of record is Senate Procurement & Contracts.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS |
| Apr. 29, 2025 | REFERRED TO PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, April 29, 2025 · 268 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7686 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE April 29, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Procurement and Contracts AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to including middle east- ern and north African persons in the definition of "minority group member" for purposes of participation by minority group members and women with respect to state contracts The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subdivision 8 of section 310 of 2 the executive law, as added by chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, are 3 amended and a new paragraph (e) is added to read as follows: 4 (c) Native American or Alaskan native persons having origins in any of 5 the original peoples of North America[.]; 6 (d) Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in any of the 7 Far East countries, South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent or the 8 Pacific Islands[.]; 9 (e) Middle Eastern and North African persons. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 11 the amendments to subdivision 8 of section 310 of the executive law made 12 by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section 13 and shall be deemed repealed therewith. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06277-01-5
Text of S 7686 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions