NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10502
SPONSOR: Stirpe PURPOSE::
To expand access to postsecondary educational opportunities for incar-
cerated individuals by requiring the Department of Corrections and
Community Supervision (DOCCS) to provide meaningful access to educa-
tional programming and establish a transparent process for individuals
to request transfers to facilities where such programming is available.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section one of the bill adds a new section 137-a to the correction law
establishing statewide standards for postsecondary educational access
within correctional facilities. The bill defines "postsecondary educa-
tional Programming" to include academic, vocational, and certificate-
bearing programs offered through accredited educational institutions or
approved training providers.
The bill requires DOCCS to ensure meaningful access to such programming,
including the availability of programs at multiple correctional facili-
ties and the dissemination of information regarding program eligibility
and application procedures.
The legislation further requires DOCCS to establish a formal educational
transfer request process for incarcerated individuals seeking transfer
to facilities offering programs unavailable at their current location.
The process must include standardized applications, review timelines.
and notification procedures.
In reviewing transfer requests. DOCCS must consider educational eligi-
bility. institutional safety. family proximity. reentry planning needs.
and other consistently applied factors. The bill also requires written
determinations for all transfer requests and mandates that denials
include a clear explanation. Educational transfer requests may not be
denied in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner.
Finally, the bill requires DOCCS to publish an annual public report
detailing the number of educational transfer requests submitted,
approved and denied, including aggregated reasons for denials and infor-
mation regarding educational program capacity across facilities.
JUSTIFICATION::
Access to higher education and vocational training is one of the most
effective tools available to reduce recidivism, improve public safety.
and support successful reentry into society. Rumetpus studies hay e
demonstrated that incarcerated individuals who participate in educa-
tional programming are significantly less likely to return to prison and
are more likely to secure stable employment upon release.
Despite these benefits, educational opportunities within New York's
correctional systems remain unevenly distributed across facilities,
leaving many incarcerated individuals without meaningful access to
programs that align with their academic or vocational goals. Currently,
there is no standardized or transparent statewide process through which
incarcerated individuals may seek transfer to facilities offering educa-
tional programs unavailable at their current location.
This legislation addresses those shortcomings by requiring DOCCS to
establish a clear and consistent educational transfer process while
expanding transparency and accountability surrounding educational access
in correctional facilities. By creating greater access to postsecondary
education, the bill promotes rehabilitation, strengthens reentry
outcomes, and advances long-term public safety objectives for communi-
ties across New York State.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
Any fiscal impact associated with implementation is expected to be mini-
mal and manageable within existing departmental operations. Potential
costs may include administrative oversight, reporting requirements, and
coordination of educational transfer requests.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law,
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10502
IN ASSEMBLY
March 6, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Local Governments
AN ACT to amend the town law, in relation to requiring polls for special
town elections to open on otherwise scheduled general election days
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 82 of the town law, as amended by chapter 420 of
2 the laws of 1963, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 82. Notice of submission of proposition; hours of voting. The town
4 board shall adopt a resolution at least twenty days before every special
5 town election designating the hours of opening and closing the polls and
6 the place or places of holding the election, and setting forth in full
7 all propositions to be voted upon. If the town board shall designate
8 more than one voting place, the resolution and the notice hereinafter
9 provided for shall specify the place at which the qualified voters of
10 each election district shall vote. The polls shall be open on an other-
11 wise scheduled general election day, designated as such by the state
12 board of elections, and, if no other election is occurring on such date,
13 shall remain open for at least six consecutive hours between eight
14 o'clock in the forenoon and eight o'clock in the evening. The voting
15 upon a proposition shall be by ballot and each proposition submitted
16 shall be separately stated and numbered thereon. The town clerk shall
17 give notice of such special town election at the expense of the town by
18 the publication of a notice in a newspaper published in said town, if
19 there be any, or, if there be none, in a newspaper published in the
20 county having general circulation in the town, specifying the time when
21 and place or places where such election will be held, the hours during
22 which the polls will remain open for the purpose of receiving ballots,
23 and setting forth in full all propositions to be voted upon. The first
24 publication of such notice shall be at least ten days prior to the time
25 of such special election. In addition, the town clerk shall post or
26 cause to be posted a copy of such notice on the sign-board of the town
27 maintained pursuant to subdivision six of section thirty of this chapter
28 at least ten days prior to such election. In the event that any such
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03610-01-5
A. 10502 2
1 questions or propositions shall be submitted at a biennial town
2 election, notice that the same will be submitted setting them forth in
3 full shall be published and posted in the manner above provided for
4 special town elections.
5 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
