New York A 403: Establishes application processing and review requirements for reprieves, commutations and pardons

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
A00403 Summary:

BILL NOA00403 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S00394

&nbsp

SPONSORSolages

&nbsp

COSPNSRMitaynes, Epstein, Taylor, Gibbs, Rosenthal, Walker, Anderson, Reyes, Cruz, Mamdani, Simon,
 Jackson, Kelles, Gonzalez-Rojas, Forrest, Gallagher, Jacobson, Hyndman, Shrestha, Raga, Meeks,
 Bichotte Hermelyn, Simone, Seawright, Burdick, Valdez, Romero, Tapia, Weprin, Carroll R, Hooks,
 Kassay, Burroughs, Lee, Stirpe, Wieder

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §15-a, amd §17, Exec L

&nbsp

Establishes application processing and review requirements for reprieves, commutations and pardons by the governor; requires the governor to provide: a written notification that the application has been received; a receipt number that the applicant can then use to check on the applicant's application status; guidelines for supplementing the application with additional or updated information; and a notification when a decision is made on the application; requires quarterly reports to the legislature regarding reprieves, commutations and pardons.

Go to top A00403 Actions:

BILL NOA00403 

&nbsp

01/08/2025referred to governmental operations

01/07/2026referred to governmental operations

Go to topA00403 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA00403 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA00403 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 403

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 (Prefiled)

 January 8, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, MITAYNES, EPSTEIN, TAYLOR, GIBBS, ROSEN-
 THAL, WALKER, ANDERSON, REYES, CRUZ, MAMDANI, SIMON, JACKSON, KELLES,
 GONZALEZ-ROJAS, FORREST, GALLAGHER, JACOBSON, HYNDMAN, SHRESTHA, RAGA,
 MEEKS, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, SIMONE -- read once and referred to the
 Committee on Governmental Operations

 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing applica-
 tion processing and review requirements for reprieves, commutations
 and pardons

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

 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 2 the "Clemency Justice Act".
 3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds
 4 that families and communities are frequently torn apart due to the
 5 United States' overzealous legal system and immigration system, and that
 6 one of the predominant tools to mitigate this issue, executive clemency,
 7 is grossly underused. Between 2017-2020, the governor's office received
 8 6,405 clemency applications while only granting 81 pardons and 14 commu-
 9 tations. The legislature further finds that the clemency process is
 10 convoluted, unequal, and difficult to navigate with no way for appli-
 11 cants to check the status of their application or expedite it in case of
 12 an emergency. Meanwhile, an estimated 9,000 people, of which the over-
 13 whelming majority are people of color, are serving life sentences while
 14 an unprecedented pandemic ravages prisons and detention centers. A
 15 simpler, more holistic approach to granting clemency would begin to
 16 address the systemic injustices of the immigration and criminal legal
 17 systems.
 18 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 15-a to read
 19 as follows:
 20 § 15-a. Process and requirements for considering applications and
 21 requests for reprieves, commutations and pardons. 1. Upon receipt of an
 22 application for a reprieve, commutation or pardon, the governor shall
 23 provide to the applicant:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01661-01-5

 A. 403 2

 1 a. a written notification that the application has been received;
 2 b. a receipt number that the applicant can then use to check on the
 3 applicant's application status;
 4 c. guidelines for supplementing the application with additional or
 5 updated information; and
 6 d. an electronic or written notification when a decision is made on
 7 the application.
 8 2. a. The application for a reprieve, commutation or pardon shall
 9 include a section allowing applicants to describe an urgent need for the
 10 reprieve, commutation or pardon. For the purposes of this section, an
 11 "urgent need" shall