New York Assembly Bill A05257

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Establishes the "Defund Municipalities that Defund the Police Act" which provides for a withholding of a certain amount of state funding for a defunding municipality.

Summary

This bill would create the “Defund Municipalities that Defund the Police Act” in the Executive Law. It defines a “defunding municipality” as a county, city, town, or village that either abolishes or disbands its police department without intending to reconstitute it, or that significantly reduces its police budget without redirecting part of the reduction to another community-policing program, unless the jurisdiction experienced a significant revenue decline in the prior fiscal year. The bill directs the Director of the Division of Budget to withhold state funding from any municipality that meets that definition. The amount withheld would correspond to the percentage by which the municipality reduced its police department budget, excluding money shifted to other community-policing programs. If the municipality later no longer qualifies as a defunding municipality, the director must stop and reverse the withholding. The act would take effect immediately upon enactment.

Impact

The bill would add a new section 184 to the Executive Law and create a state-level fiscal penalty tied to local police staffing and budgeting decisions. It would affect counties, cities, towns, and villages that reduce police budgets or eliminate police departments, and it would give the Division of Budget authority to reduce state aid accordingly. The measure would also indirectly shape how municipalities allocate public safety funds by discouraging budget cuts that are not paired with alternative community-policing spending.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed in strongly pro-police terms and likely reflects support for limiting municipal police defunding. The title and structure suggest an intent to deter local governments from reducing police resources. Because there are no transcripts or vote records provided, there is no documented bipartisan or committee sentiment to assess beyond the bill’s clear policy stance.

Contention

The main point of contention is the bill’s restriction on local control over police budgets and municipal public safety policy. Supporters would likely view the withholding mechanism as a way to preserve public safety and ensure police departments are not dismantled or significantly weakened. Opponents would likely argue that it penalizes municipalities for making budget choices based on local needs, especially in communities seeking to shift resources toward alternative community-policing or non-police public safety programs. The exception for jurisdictions with significant revenue declines may also be debated as a narrow safeguard that still leaves many budget cuts subject to state penalties.