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CityAndStateNY.com
MAJOR BILLS OF THE 2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION Here’s a rundown of the prominent issues lawmakers acted on – and didn’t – in the last days of their most prolific session in decades. By Rebecca C. Lewis
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S PER TRADITION IN ALBANY, the state Senate wrapped up its business well before the Assembly – but in the end, the state legislative year came to a close in a timely fashion on June 4. Lawmakers left riding the highs of new gun legislation, strengthening abortion access and codifying voting rights in state law. But despite major victories in those areas, which will no doubt play well on the campaign trail, a slew of activists were left disappointed as leaders left their priorities on the table. Both gun laws and abortion rights became hot national issues in the wake of a leaked draft decision from the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade and two mass shootings that left a combined 31 people, many children, dead in Buffalo and Texas. They quickly became priorities for lawmakers at the end of the session, with negotiations revolving around a final deal on those two topics. In the end, lawmakers approved a series of 10 gun bills and six abortion bills, announced to fanfare. It didn’t take long for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the gun legislation into law at a well-attended press conference with officials from across the state touting the achievement in the face of federal inaction.
June 13, 2022
