In the Legislature

Legislative advocacy is a critical part of the NYCLU's interdisciplinary approach to protecting civil liberties, which also includes litigation, community organizing, and communications.

As part of its work to affect legislation the NYCLU distributes dozens of legislative memoranda each year. Legislative memoranda are position papers that the NYCLU distributes to the governor's office and to state legislators and their staffs laying out our views on bills under deliberation or on issues that we feel the Legislature needs to address.

VIEW A LIST OF OUR LEGISLATIVE MEMOS BELOW:

Filter Legislation

Legislative Memo: Double Jeopardy

Since this country’s founding, people in the United States have relied on double jeopardy protections to shield individual liberty and guard against government harassment and overreach.[1]

March 28, 2019

Legislative Memo: “Mugshot” and Booking Information Ban

Arrest photos can affect one’s personal life, job prospects, educational opportunities, housing options, and career advancement – and companies should not have free reign to profit off of this black market in privacy.

March 28, 2019

Legislative Memo: Discovery Reform

Executive Budget Proposal, P.P.G.G. Article VII Legislation,

S.1716 (Bailey) / A.1431 (Lentol) – SUPPORT
A.2005-A/S.1505-A, Part AA, Subpart B - QUALIFIED SUPPORT

March 20, 2019

Legislative Memo: Bail Elimination Act

In New York, tens of thousands of people are held in jail prior to trial in large part because they cannot afford to post bail. Individuals who have not been convicted of a crime account for fully 67 percent of the average daily jail population across the state.

March 20, 2019

Legislative Memo: Executive Chamber’s Proposed FY20 Good Government & Ethics Reform Article VII Legislation

Our organizations are plaintiffs in an ongoing federal lawsuit challenging Executive Law sections 172-e and 172-f, on the grounds that they deter individuals from contributing to and thereby associating with charitable and issue-oriented organizations, in violation of the First Amendment.

March 4, 2019

Legislative Memo: Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (2019)

Transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers face pervasive and brutal discrimination solely because of who they are and how they express their gender.

January 14, 2019

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