STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3617

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 30, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections

        AN ACT to amend the election  law,  in  relation  to  designating  every
          government  entity which issues licenses to carry, possess, repair and
          dispose of firearms as participating agencies for  voter  registration
          form distribution and assistance

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 5-211 of the election law,
     2  as separately amended by chapters 587 and 672 of the laws  of  2019,  is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    Each  agency designated as a participating agency under the provisions
     5  of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution
     6  of voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this  section.
     7  The  following  offices  which  provide public assistance and/or provide
     8  state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons
     9  with disabilities are hereby designated as voter registration  agencies:
    10  designated as the state agencies which provide public assistance are the
    11  office  of  children  and  family  services, the office of temporary and
    12  disability assistance and the department of health. Also  designated  as
    13  public  assistance  agencies  are  all agencies of local government that
    14  provide such assistance.  Designated  as  state  agencies  that  provide
    15  programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabil-
    16  ities  are  the  department  of labor, office for the aging, division of
    17  veterans' services, office of mental health, office  of  vocational  and
    18  educational  services  for  individuals with disabilities, commission on
    19  quality of care for the mentally disabled, office for people with devel-
    20  opmental disabilities, commission for the blind,  office  of  alcoholism
    21  and  substance  abuse services, the office of the advocate for the disa-
    22  bled and all offices which administer programs established or funded  by
    23  such  agencies.  Additional  participating  agencies designated as voter

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02107-01-1

        S. 3617                             2

     1  registration offices are the department of  state  [and],  the  district
     2  offices  of  the  workers'  compensation  board  and every court and law
     3  enforcement agency when such entities are  issuing  licenses  to  carry,
     4  possess, repair or dispose of firearms.  Such agencies shall be required
     5  to  offer  voter  registration forms to persons upon initial application
     6  for services,  upon  renewal  or  recertification  for  services  [and],
     7  participation in activities or use of facilities of the agency, and upon
     8  change of address relating to such services. Such agencies shall also be
     9  responsible  for  providing assistance to applicants in completing voter
    10  registration forms, receiving and transmitting the completed application
    11  form from all applicants who wish to have such form transmitted  to  the
    12  appropriate  board  of  elections.  The  state board of elections shall,
    13  together  with  representatives  of  the  United  States  department  of
    14  defense,  develop  and  implement  procedures  for including recruitment
    15  offices of the armed forces of the United States as  voter  registration
    16  offices  when  such offices are so designated by federal law.  The state
    17  board of elections shall also make request of the United States Citizen-
    18  ship and Immigration Services to include applications  for  registration
    19  by mail with any materials which are given to new citizens.
    20    §  2.    This  act  shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day
    21  after it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the  addition,
    22  amendment  and/or  repeal  of  any  rule or regulation necessary for the
    23  implementation of this act on its effective date  is  authorized  to  be
    24  made on or before such date.