Senate BillIntroduced
S 8505: Prohibits line-item appropriations, grants, or disbursements from lump sum appropriations to be directed to organizations engaged in political activities.
What S 8505 does, verified January 11, 2026
The proposed law aims to prohibit line-item appropriations for organizations that engage in political activities. This means that state funds cannot be directed to organizations that participate or intervene in political campaigns, either directly or indirectly. The law defines "political activity" as any action, communication, or expenditure that constitutes participation or intervention in a political campaign. An individual is considered a candidate for public office if they offer themselves or are proposed as a contestant for a public office, including local, state, or national elections. The law takes effect immediately, effectively prohibiting line-item appropriations to organizations involved in political activities.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO FINANCE (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 8505
- What is the current status of S 8505?
- As of January 11, 2026, S 8505 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 FINANCE".
- Did S 8505 pass?
- Not yet. S 8505 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 8505, and where is it now?
- S 8505 was authored by Sen. Robert Ortt. Its committee of record is Senate Finance.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO FINANCE |
| Sep. 12, 2025 | REFERRED TO RULES |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, September 12, 2025 · 339 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8505 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE September 12, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to prohibiting line- item appropriations for organizations engaged in political activities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 2 53-e to read as follows: 3 § 53-e. Prohibition on line-item appropriations for organizations 4 engaged in political activities. 1. For the purposes of this section, 5 the following terms shall have the following meanings: 6 (a) "Political activity" means any action, communication or expendi- 7 ture which constitutes participation or intervention, directly or indi- 8 rectly, in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any 9 candidate for office, political party, fundraising, or voter registra- 10 tion. 11 (b) "Candidate for public office" means an individual who offers them- 12 self, or is proposed by others, as a contestant for a national, state, 13 or local elective public office, whether such office is to be filled at 14 a primary, general, or special election. An individual shall be deemed 15 to be a candidate for public office for the purposes of this section 16 upon the occurrence of any of the actions specified in subdivision one 17 of section 14-100 of the election law. 18 2. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, it shall be prohibited for 19 any line-item appropriation, grant, or disbursement from a lump sum 20 appropriation pursuant to a resolution or memorandum of understanding to 21 be directed to any organization or entity engaged in political activity. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13695-01-5
Text of S 8505 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions