New York S 4498: Removes the citizenship requirement for police officers and firefighters

Bill Text

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S04498 Summary:

BILL NOS04498 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORSALAZAR

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COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Add §209-h, Gen Muni L; amd §§3 & 3-b, Pub Off L

&nbsp

Removes the citizenship requirement for police officers and firefighters; extends eligibility to those legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law.

Go to top S04498 Actions:

BILL NOS04498 

&nbsp

02/06/2025REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

01/07/2026REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Go to topS04498 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS04498 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS04498 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4498

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 6, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government

 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law and the public officers law,
 in relation to removing the citizenship requirement for police offi-
 cers and firefighters

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

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "we too
 2 serve NY act".
 3 § 2. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section
 4 209-h to read as follows:
 5 § 209-h. Citizenship requirements of police officers and firefighters.
 6 Notwithstanding any general, special or local law or administrative code
 7 to the contrary, the local governing bodies of the several cities,
 8 towns, villages, police and fire districts of the state are hereby
 9 authorized to remove, by local law, rule or ordinance, any citizenship
 10 requirements from the qualifications of police officers and firefight-
 11 ers.
 12 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 3 of the public officers law, as amended
 13 by chapter 251 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
 14 1. No person shall be capable of holding a civil office who shall not,
 15 at the time [he or she] such person shall be chosen thereto, have
 16 attained the age of eighteen years, except that in the case of youth
 17 boards, youth commissions, recreation commissions, or community boards
 18 in the city of New York only, members of such boards or commissions may
 19 be under the age of eighteen years, but must have attained the age of
 20 sixteen years on or before appointment to such youth board, youth
 21 commission, recreation commission, or community board in the city of New
 22 York, be a citizen of the United States or legally authorized to work in
 23 the United States under federal law, a resident of the state, and if it
 24 be a local office, a resident of the political subdivision or municipal

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01642-01-5

 S. 4498 2

 1 corporation of the state for which [he or she] such person shall be
 2 chosen, or within which the electors electing [him or her] such person
 3 reside, or within which [his or her] such person's official functions
 4 are required to be exercised[, or who shall have been or shall be
 5 convicted of a violation of the selective draft act of the United
 6 States, enacted May eighteenth, nineteen hundred seventeen, or the acts
 7 amendatory or supplemental thereto, or of the federal selective training
 8 and service act of nineteen hundred forty or the acts amendatory thereof
 9 or supplemental thereto].
 10 § 4. Subdivision 1 of section 3-b of the public officers law, as sepa-
 11 rately amended by chapters 263 and 371 of the laws of 2021, is amended
 12 to read as follows:
 13 1. No sheriff of a county, mayor of a city, or official, or other
 14 persons authorized by law to appoint special deputy sheriffs, special
 15 constables, marshals, police officers, or peace officers in this state,
 16 to preserve the public peace or quell public disturbance, shall hereaft-
 17 er, at the instance of any agent, society, association or corporation,
 18 or otherwise, appoint as such special deputy, special constable,
 19 marshal, police officer, or peace officer, any person who shall not be a
 20 citizen of the United States or legally authorized to work in the United