S1359

The New York State Senate passed legislation creating a new Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, with the bill (S1359) approved 39-21 on a party-line vote. Sponsor Sen. Kennedy argued the office would address systemic racism and disparities across the state by coordinating policy changes and resource allocation, citing examples including the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting, health disparities in communities of color, and food deserts. Kennedy noted that similar offices have been established in other jurisdictions and said New York would become the first state to create such an office. Sen. Webb supported the measure as a mechanism to measure whether state government reaches historically marginalized New Yorkers, while Sen. Sanders endorsed it as an intentional effort to eliminate inequality that was created by design. The bill takes effect July 1, 2024. Kennedy acknowledged the support of Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and the New York State NAACP, and dedicated passage to the memory of Niagara Falls NAACP President Shirley Hamilton, who died the day before the vote.