S2364A

An act to amend the Executive Law; codifying the SNUG (Operation SNUG) violence interruption program — 2023-05-09 · Calendar #672

NYS Legislature ↗ · OpenLeg API ↗

The New York State Senate passed legislation sponsored by Sen. Bailey to codify the SNUG violence interruption program into law, ensuring stable funding for the initiative going forward. The bill passed 57-1 on a roll call vote, with only Sen. Walczyk voting in opposition. SNUG, an acronym for the program spelled backwards, has operated throughout New York State with demonstrated success in reducing gun violence in urban communities through violence interrupters and community mediators. Supporters including Sens. Rivera, Cleare, and Kennedy praised the program's effectiveness in preventing violence before it occurs through community engagement, youth services, and conflict resolution. Sen. Kennedy noted that codifying SNUG into law protects the program from future budget cuts, referencing a 2011 effort to defund the initiative. The bill takes effect April 1.

Passed Senate Ayes: 57 · Nays: 1

Debate Summary

Senators debated the merits of codifying the SNUG (Strategies for Intervention and Negotiation Using Groups) violence interruption program into law to ensure stable, perpetual funding. Proponents argued that SNUG and similar violence interrupter organizations have demonstrated significant success in reducing gun violence in urban communities through community engagement, conflict mediation, and youth services. They emphasized that codifying the program would eliminate the need to secure funding through annual budget negotiations. No opposition arguments were presented in the debate.

Transcript Mentions

These votes were extracted from the floor transcript by AI. NYS Senate roll calls are read in full, but AI extraction may not capture every senator — so this list is incomplete and skews toward named dissenting votes. Use the Official API Data table above for the complete roll call.

Senator	Vote	Party
Walczyk	nay	Republican