NOTABLE LEGISLATION

                                                                                                                           2023 State Legislative Agenda

 In May of 2023, Life Unbolted became a member of The Coalition of Reentry Advocates (CoRA). CoRA is a New York State coalition of advocates working to change laws and policies to eliminate the perpetual punishment that flows from involvement with the criminal legal system.  

CoRA, strongly recommend that the Legislature enact the following reforms to strengthen the ability of individuals to rebuild their lives and fully participate in their communities:

• Enact comprehensive Clean Slate legislation to automatically seal conviction records and end the perpetual punishment they create. This legislation (S. 211A  / A. 1029A) is crucial to ensure that the 2.3 million New Yorkers with conviction histories, who are disproportionately Black and brown, can fully and fairly participate in our shared communities and be a vibrant part of our state’s economy.

• Enact the Preliminary Licensing Application Navigation (“PLAN”) Bill to allow people to receive a preliminary determination as to whether their criminal history will disqualify them from receiving a license. This bill (S. 3250 / A. 4893) would allow New Yorkers to know whether a license will be granted before they pursue potentially costly education and training. It would significantly mitigate the risk assumed by people who are interested in pursuing work in licensed fields but are unsure whether their criminal history will ultimately result in denial.

• Ensure that people illegally discriminated against by a public employer due to a prior criminal conviction are able to seek the same enforcement mechanisms available to other victims of discrimination. This bill (S. 1276) establishes meaningful enforcement of the Human Rights Law’s anti-discrimination provisions. Only one class of individuals claiming illegal discrimination, those discriminated against by public agencies on the basis of their criminal record, have their legal remedies limited. This bill gives victims of criminal records-based discrimination the same access to enforcement mechanisms available to other victims of discrimination, and the opportunity to receive real relief.