S 811: Requires separate collection categories for Middle Eastern and North African groups in NYS.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 811 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GIANARIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the collection of certain demographic information by certain state agencies, boards, departments and commissions; and to amend a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law relating to the collection of certain demographic information by certain state agencies, boards, departments and commissions, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 6584-C and A. 6219-B, in relation to the effectiveness thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 170-h of the executive law, as added by a chapter 2 of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law relating to the 3 collection of certain demographic information by certain state agencies, 4 boards, departments and commissions, as proposed in legislative bills 5 numbers S. 6584-C and A. 6219-B, is amended to read as follows: 6 § 170-h. Additional collection of demographic information. 1. Every 7 state agency, board, department, or commission that directly collects 8 demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of residents of the 9 state of New York shall use separate collection categories and tabu- 10 lations for the [White group] following Middle Eastern and North African 11 groups in New York state[, including the following Middle Eastern or 12 North African groups in New York state]: 13 (a) Each major North African (NA) group[, including, but not limited 14 to,] shall include Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian, Sudanese, Tunisian, and 15 Libyan; and 16 (b) Each major Middle Eastern (ME) group[, including, but not limited 17 to,] shall include Yemeni, Iranian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Israe- 18 li, Jordanian, Syrian, Armenian, and Saudi; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02855-01-5 
 S. 811 2 1 (c) [Other Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) groups, including, 2 but not limited to, transnational indigenous MENA communities like 3 Amazigh and Syriac people] Collection categories shall include a catego- 4 ry for other Middle Eastern or North African groups. 5 2. [Every state agency, board, department, or commission that directly 6 collects demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of resi- 7 dents of the state of New York shall allow multiple collection catego- 8 ries to be selected. 9 3.] The data collected pursuant to the different collection categories 10 and tabulations described in subdivision one of this section, to the 11 degree that the data quality is sufficient, shall be included in every 12 demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of residents of the 13 state of New York by the state agency, board, department, or commission 14 published or released on or after [December] January first, two thousand 15 [twenty-five; provided, however, that for the department of labor, divi- 16 sion of criminal justice services, office of mental health and office of 17 temporary and disability assistance such requirements shall be effective 18 July first, two thousand twenty-six] twenty-seven. The data shall be 19 made available to the public in accordance with state and federal law, 20 except for personal identifying information, which shall be deemed 21 confidential, by posting the data on the internet web site of the agen- 22 cy, board, department, or commission on or before [December] January 23 first, two thousand [twenty-five] twenty-seven, and annually thereaft- 24 er[; provided, however, that for the department of labor, division of 25 criminal justice services, office of mental health and office of tempo- 26 rary and disability assistance such requirements shall be effective July 27 first, two thousand twenty-six]. If the data quality is determined to be 28 insufficient for publication, an explanation of the problem with the 29 data quality shall be included in any report or publication made avail- 30 able to the public. This subdivision shall not be construed to prevent 31 any other state agency from posting data collected pursuant to subdivi- 32 sion one of this section on the agency's internet web site, in the 33 manner prescribed by this section. 34 [4. The requirements of this section shall not apply to the department 35 of labor, the division of criminal justice services, the office of 36 mental health or the office of temporary and disability assistance until 37 two years after this section shall have become a law.] 38 3. A state agency, board, or commission that cannot comply with the 39 requirements of this section shall, at least sixty days before the 40 applicable deadline, post publicly on its web site a written progress 41 report that describes with specificity the steps the agency, board, or 42 commission has taken to comply with this section, the impediments that 43 prevented compliance, the efforts undertaken by the agency, board, or 44 commission to come into compliance, and an estimated timeframe for 45 compliance. The written report shall be updated every six months from 46 the date of the original posting. 47 § 2. Section 2 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive 48 law relating to the collection of certain demographic information by 49 certain state agencies, boards, departments and commissions, as proposed 50 in legislative bills numbers S. 6584-C and A. 6219-B, is amended to read 51 as follows: 52 § 2. This act shall take effect [on the one hundred twentieth day 53 after it shall have become a law] July 1, 2026. Effective immediately, 54 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 55 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 56 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date. 
 S. 811 3 1 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided however, that 2 section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the 3 same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the executive law 4 relating to the collection of certain demographic information by certain 5 state agencies, boards, departments and commissions, as proposed in 6 legislative bills numbers S. 6584-C and A. 6219-B, takes effect.