Senate BillIntroduced
S 8551: Creates the blue light emergency phones grant program for the purpose of public safety; directs a study be conducted to report upon the impact of such program.
What S 8551 does, verified January 14, 2026
The state of New York is establishing a new program to improve public safety. The program, called the blue light emergency phones grant program, will provide grants to municipalities to install blue lighted emergency phones in public areas with a history of illicit drug activity or overdoses. These phones will automatically dial 9-1-1 and ring directly to the police department when used. The goal of the program is to enhance public safety and respond quickly to emergencies in these areas. The state will also conduct a study to analyze the program's impact and make any necessary legislative recommendations.
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 8551
- What is the current status of S 8551?
- As of January 14, 2026, S 8551 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 8551 pass?
- Not yet. S 8551 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 8551, and where is it now?
- S 8551 was authored by Sen. Alexis Weik with 1 coauthor. 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 |
| Oct. 24, 2025 | REFERRED TO RULES |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, October 24, 2025 · 322 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8551 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE October 24, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. WEIK -- 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 creating the blue light emergency phones grant program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 837-z 2 to read as follows: 3 § 837-z. Blue light emergency phones program. 1. Within amounts appro- 4 priated therefor, the division shall implement a blue light emergency 5 phones grant program for the purpose of public safety. Under such 6 program, the division shall provide grants to municipalities to install 7 blue lighted emergency phones that, when used, shall automatically dial 8 9-1-1 and ring directly to the police department. Municipalities shall 9 install such blue light emergency phones in public parks and other 10 public areas with a history of illicit drug activity or overdoses. 11 2. The commissioner shall cause a study to be performed to analyze how 12 the implementation of the blue light emergency phones grant program 13 impacts public safety. 14 3. Eighteen months after the effective date of this section, the 15 commissioner shall complete the study conducted pursuant to subdivision 16 two of this section and shall thereafter deliver a copy of the findings 17 of the study and any legislative recommendations deemed to be necessary 18 to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker 19 of the assembly. 20 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 21 have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13603-01-5
Text of S 8551 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions