New York S 5265: Requires screening incarcerated individuals for eligibility for public benefits prior to release

Status: ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.222 (as of 2026-05-29)

State: New York · Session: 2025-2026 · Bill: S 5265

Sponsors: Jamaal Bailey, Dean Murray, Lea Webb

Bill Text

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S05265 Summary:

BILL NOS05265A

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A03399-A

&nbsp

SPONSORBAILEY

&nbsp

COSPNSRMURRAY, WEBB

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MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §77, Cor L

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Requires screening incarcerated individuals for eligibility for public benefits prior to release and assistance in applying for such programs; requires officials to seek waivers from the USDA for eligibility for such program.

Go to top S05265 Actions:

BILL NOS05265A

&nbsp

02/20/2025REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION

03/25/20251ST REPORT CAL.607

03/26/20252ND REPORT CAL.

03/27/2025ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 

06/06/2025PASSED SENATE

06/06/2025DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

06/06/2025referred to correction

01/07/2026died in assembly

01/07/2026returned to senate

01/07/2026REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION

02/25/20261ST REPORT CAL.423

02/26/20262ND REPORT CAL.

03/04/2026ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 

03/17/2026PASSED SENATE

03/17/2026DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

03/17/2026referred to correction

04/16/2026RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY

04/16/2026returned to senate

04/16/2026VOTE RECONSIDERED - RESTORED TO THIRD READING

04/16/2026AMENDED ON THIRD READING (T) 5265A

05/19/2026REPASSED SENATE

05/19/2026RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY

05/19/2026referred to ways and means

05/29/2026substituted for a3399a

05/29/2026ordered to third reading rules cal.222

Go to topS05265 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS05265 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS05265 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5265--A
 Cal. No. 423

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 20, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. BAILEY, MURRAY, WEBB -- read twice and ordered
 printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Crime
 Victims, Crime and Correction -- recommitted to the Committee on Crime
 Victims, Crime and Correction in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
 -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second
 report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered to
 the Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered, restored to third reading,
 amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of
 third reading

 AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to screening incarcerat-
 ed individuals for eligibility for public benefits prior to release

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

 1 Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 77 to
 2 read as follows:
 3 § 77. Public benefits screening. 1. It shall be the duty of an offi-
 4 cial of any institution under the jurisdiction of the commissioner to
 5 cooperate with an authorized agency of the department of social services
 6 to, at least thirty days prior to release, screen incarcerated individ-
 7 uals for eligibility for public benefits. Public benefits shall
 8 include, but not be limited to, the supplemental nutrition access
 9 program pursuant to section ninety-five of the social services law,
 10 special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children
 11 (WIC) under 42 USC § 1786, and the home energy assistance program (HEAP
 12 as administered by the office of temporary and disability assistance, in
 13 accordance with section one hundred fifty-eight of the social services
 14 law, 42 USC § 1383 and section two hundred nine of the social services
 15 law, temporary assistance, supplemental security income and state
 16 supplemental payments. Any individual determined eligible to apply for
 17 a program shall be provided assistance for making such application if
 18 requested by the individual.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD06100-05-6

 S. 5265--A 2

 1 2. The department shall be required to report annually to the gover-
 2 nor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the
 3 assembly on participation in such public benefits screening program.
 4 Such reporting shall include metrics on the following:
 5 (a) how many people were deemed eligible for at least one type of
 6 benefit, disaggregated by type of benefit;
 7 (b) for how many people were applications submitted, disaggregated by
 8 t

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