Senate Bill S491

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to including the basis of religious attire and facial hair in the definition of unlawful discriminatory practice

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations 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-S491 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Investigations And Government Operations
Law Section:
Executive Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §296, Exec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S7004
2021-2022: S980
2023-2024: S4407

2025-S491 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to including the basis of religious attire and facial hair in the definition of unlawful discriminatory practice.

2025-S491 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    491
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  FERNANDEZ,  BROUK, WEBB -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investi-
   gations and Government Operations
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to including the basis of
   religious attire and facial hair in the definition of unlawful discri-
   minatory practice
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 296 of the execu-
 tive  law,  as separately amended by chapters 202 and 748 of the laws of
 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   (a) It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice  for  any  person,
 being  the  owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or
 employee of any place of  public  accommodation,  resort  or  amusement,
 because  of the race, creed, INCLUDING THE WEARING OF ANY ATTIRE, CLOTH-
 ING OR FACIAL HAIR IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OR PRACTICE OF  A
 PERSON'S  RELIGION,  color,  national origin, citizenship or immigration
 status, sexual orientation,  gender  identity  or  expression,  military
 status, sex, disability, marital status, or status as a victim of domes-
 tic violence, of any person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, withhold
 from  or  deny  to  such  person  any of the accommodations, advantages,
 facilities or privileges thereof, including the extension of credit, or,
 directly or indirectly, to publish, circulate, issue, display,  post  or
 mail  any  written or printed communication, notice or advertisement, to
 the effect that any of the accommodations,  advantages,  facilities  and
 privileges  of  any such place shall be refused, withheld from or denied
 to any person on account of race, creed, INCLUDING THE  WEARING  OF  ANY
 ATTIRE,  CLOTHING  OR FACIAL HAIR IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OR
 PRACTICE OF A PERSON'S RELIGION, color, national origin, citizenship  or
 immigration  status,  sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

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