Assembly Bill A3119

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Enacts the "open shelves act"

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2025-A3119 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S1100
Current Committee:
Assembly Libraries And Education Technology
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §254, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
A7843, S7677

2025-A3119 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Ensures that staff in libraries are able to curate collections, services, and programming that reflect the interests of all people of the community that the library serves.

2025-A3119 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3119
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 23, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. KELLES, SEAWRIGHT, EACHUS, SIMON, LEVENBERG --
   read once and referred to the Committee  on  Libraries  and  Education
   Technology
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education law, in relation to requiring certain
   libraries to adopt policies ensuring that library staff  are  able  to
   curate  collections,  services,  and  programming that reflect diverse
   interests
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.   Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "open shelves act".
   § 2. Section 254 of the education law, as amended by  chapter  718  of
 the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
   § 254. Standards  of  library service. 1. The regents shall have power
 to fix standards of library service for every free  association,  public
 and  hospital  library  or,  with  the  advice of the appropriate tribal
 government and library board of trustees, Indian library which  receives
 any  portion  of  the  moneys  appropriated  by  the  state  to aid such
 libraries, or which is supported in whole or in part by  tax  levied  by
 any  municipality  or  district.  In the case of a hospital library or a
 library serving a hospital,  such  standards  shall  be  established  in
 consultation  with the commissioner of health. If any such library shall
 fail to comply with the regents requirements,  such  library  shall  not
 receive  any  portion  of the moneys appropriated by the state for free,
 hospital or Indian libraries nor shall any tax be levied by any  munici-
 pality or district for the support in whole or in part of such library.
   2.  SUCH  STANDARDS  SHALL REQUIRE EVERY FREE ASSOCIATION, PUBLIC, AND
 HOSPITAL LIBRARY OR, WITH THE ADVICE OF THE APPROPRIATE  TRIBAL  GOVERN-
 MENT  AND  LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, INDIAN LIBRARY, WHICH RECEIVES ANY
 PORTION OF THE MONEYS APPROPRIATED BY THE STATE TO AID  SUCH  LIBRARIES,
 TO  ADOPT  POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT ENSURE LIBRARY STAFF ARE ABLE TO
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00089-02-5

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