S308

The Senate passed S308, sponsored by Sen. Salazar, an act to amend the Correction Law, on a roll call vote of 42-17. The bill, which takes effect immediately, received support from a majority of the chamber. Seventeen senators voted in opposition: Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Stec, Tedisco, Weber and Weik. No floor debate on the measure was recorded in the session transcript.

The New York State Senate passed legislation requiring the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to report detailed data on temporary release programs, which allow incarcerated individuals to participate in work release, educational release, and similar initiatives. Senate Print 308, sponsored by Sen. Salazar, passed on a 44-18 vote. Salazar argued that temporary release programs are critical for rehabilitation and successful reentry into communities, strengthening family ties and providing job and housing skills. However, she noted that participation remains extremely low, with only 23 applications for educational release programs between 2014 and 2020 and zero approvals. The bill seeks to address this disparity by requiring DOCCS to collect and report data on program availability, application rates, and approval and denial reasons. Eighteen senators voted against the measure, including Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber, and Weik.