New York S 6531: Prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's caste in opportunities of employment, housing, and access to public accommodations

Status: REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS (as of 2026-01-07)

State: New York · Session: 2025-2026 · Bill: S 6531

Sponsors: James Sanders Jr., Cordell Cleare, Jabari Brisport, Jessica Ramos, Julia Salazar, Kristen Gonzalez, Leroy Comrie, Michelle Hinchey, Patricia Fahy, Rachel May, Robert Jackson, Zellnor Myrie

Bill Text

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S06531 Summary:

BILL NOS06531 

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SAME ASSAME AS A06920

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SPONSORSANDERS

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COSPNSRBRISPORT, CLEARE, COMRIE, FAHY, GONZALEZ, HINCHEY, JACKSON, MAY, MYRIE, RAMOS, SALAZAR

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §§292, 296, 296-a & 296-c, Exec L

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Prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's caste in opportunities of employment, housing, and access to public accommodations.

Go to top S06531 Actions:

BILL NOS06531 

&nbsp

03/17/2025REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

01/07/2026REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Go to topS06531 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS06531 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS06531 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 6531

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 March 17, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
 ment Operations

 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to prohibiting discrimi-
 nation on the basis of a person's caste in opportunities of employ-
 ment, housing, and access to public accommodations

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

 1 Section 1. Section 292 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
 2 subdivision 42 to read as follows:
 3 42. The term "caste" means a class in a graded social hierarchical
 4 structure that assigns individuals social status, roles, privileges, and
 5 disadvantages based on birth and typically enforces hereditary status,
 6 endogamy, and occupational restrictions while limiting social and
 7 economic mobility and access to fundamental rights and opportunities.
 8 § 2. Paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (h) of subdivision 1 of section
 9 296 of the executive law, as separately amended by chapters 202 and 748
 10 of the laws of 2022, are amended to read as follows:
 11 (a) For an employer or licensing agency, because of an individual's
 12 age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration
 13 status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military
 14 status, sex, caste, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics,
 15 familial status, marital status, or status as a victim of domestic
 16 violence, to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from
 17 employment such individual or to discriminate against such individual in
 18 compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment.
 19 (b) For an employment agency to discriminate against any individual
 20 because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or
 21 immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
 22 military status, sex, caste, disability, predisposing genetic character-
 23 istics, familial status, marital status, or status as a victim of domes-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD10378-01-5

 S. 6531 2

 1 tic violence, in receiving, classifying, disposing or otherwise acting
 2 upon applications for its services or in referring an applicant or
 3 applicants to an employer or employers.
 4 (c) For a labor organization, because of the age, race, creed, color,
 5 national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sexual orientation,
 6 gender identity or expression, military status, sex, caste, disability,
 7 predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status,
 8 or status as a victim of domestic violence, of any individual, to
 9 exclude or to expel from its membership such individual or to discrimi-
 10 nate in any way against any of its members or against any employer or
 11 any individual employed by an employer.
 12 (d) For any employer or employment agency to print or circulate or
 13 cause to be printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publi-
 14 cation, or to use any form of application for employment or to make any
 15 inquiry in connection with prospective employment, which expresses
 16 directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination
 17 as to age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immi-
 18 gration st

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