Legislation
ALAA is a strong advocate for the issues and legislation that would benefit our clients. Here is some of the selected legislation we are supporting:
New York City Council
Fair Chance Act Intro 1314 - This bill would extend employment protections for individuals with pending adjournments in contemplation of dismissal (ACDs) and convictions for violations prior to sealing by adding unsealed violations and ACDs to the category of dispositions that may never be considered for the purpose of making employment-related decisions. The bill also prohibits discrimination in licensing against applicants with convictions for violations, even prior to sealing. Additionally, this bill would clarify protections for applicants and employees with pending criminal cases by explicitly requiring an employer to make an individualized assessment of the relationship between the charged conduct and the job, much like what is required for consideration of an individual’s conviction history.
Right to Tenant Organizing Intro 1529 - This bill would require that the city work with community organizing groups so that tenants know and assert their rights.
Parity for Indigent Legal Services Attorneys with City Attorneys and Equitable Salaries for non-attorney legal workers.
New York State Legislature
HALT Solitary Confinement S1623/A2500 (Sepulveda/Aubry) - Restricts the use of segregated confinement and creates alternative therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options.
Good Cause Evictions S2892A/A5030A (Salizar/Hunter) - Prohibits eviction without good cause.
Indigent Legal Service/District Attorney Loan Forgiveness S6668/A8644 (Ramos/Crespo) - Expands the eligibility period for indigent legal service attorneys to receive certain loan forgiveness and increases loan reimbursement for certain attorneys who work in legal services with indigent clients.
Repeal Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution S2253/A0654 (Hoylman/Paulin) - Repeals provisions relating to loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense; makes technical corrections relating thereto.
Decriminalize Sex Work S6419/A8230 (Salazar/Gottfried ) - Decriminalizes certain prostitution offenses; amends provisions relating to prosecution of such offenses and vacating judgments.
Repeal 50a S3695/A2513 (Bailey/O'Donnell) - Repeals provisions relating to personnel records of police officers, firefighters and correction officers.
Police STAT Act - This legislation would require police departments across the state to record & report demographic and geographic data on enforcement of low-level offenses (including violations and misdemeanors) to improve transparency of policing activities across the state. This bill also requires comprehensive public reporting of deaths in police custody. The common-sense provisions of the Police STAT Act were part of recommendations issued by former
Codify a Special Prosecutor for police killings - Establishes a special prosecutor to investigate cases of unarmed civilian deaths involving police officers into state law.
Protect Our Courts Act S425A/A2176 (Hoylman/Solages) - Exempts certain interested parties or people from civil arrest while going to, remaining at, or returning from the place of such court proceeding.
Reform Order of Protection Process A07633 (Quart) - Grants superior court judges the authority to issue a temporary order of protection when an action is pending in a local criminal court in certain circumstances.
Automatic Sealing for some misdemeanors S6176A/A8455 (Myrie/Mosley) - Requires automatic sealing of certain misdemeanor records; provides exceptions thereto; requires the division of criminal justice services to publish statistics on automatic sealing of certain records.
Record Relief for Trafficking Victims S4981A/A6983 (Ramos/Gottfried) - Relates to proceedings to vacate convictions for offenses resulting from sex trafficking, labor trafficking and compelling prostitution and provides for confidentiality of records of such proceedings.
Prison Minimum Wage Act - Enacts "the prison minimum wage act" relating to payment for labor performed by inmates.
SWEAT S2844B/A486 (Ramos/Rosenthal) - Relates to securing payment of wages for work already performed; creates a lien remedy for all employees; provides grounds for attachment; relates to procedures where employees may hold shareholders of non-publicly traded corporations personally liable for wage theft; relates to rights for victims of wage theft to hold the ten members with the largest ownership interests in a company personally liable for wage theft.
Less is More Act S1343/A5493B (Benjamin/Mosley) - Modifies the standard of evidence and certain other procedures when determining whether to revoke the community supervision of a person.
Elder Parole S2144/A9040 (Hoylman/DeLaRosa) - Relates to parole eligibility for certain inmates age fifty-five or older.