Replaces instances of the words or variations of the words American Indian with the words Indigenous peoples or a variation thereof.
Summary
This bill makes a broad terminology update across numerous New York statutes by replacing references to “American Indian” with “Indigenous peoples,” and in some places replacing “Indian” with “Indigenous” or “Indigenous peoples.” The changes appear in laws governing arts and cultural affairs, cannabis, economic development, correction, education, environmental conservation, executive law, public authorities, transportation, the facilities development corporation, the medical care facilities finance agency, and the urban development corporation. The bill also changes some references from “aliens” to “noncitizens” in minority- and women-owned business enterprise definitions.
Substantively, the bill does not appear to change eligibility standards or program structure; instead, it updates racial/ethnic classification language used in state programs, reporting, contracting, and certification provisions. Many of the amended sections concern minority- and women-owned business enterprise participation in state contracting and public projects, while others affect demographic reporting in correctional and education contexts and definitions used in cannabis and economic development programs.
Impact
The bill would amend a wide range of state laws and public authority statutes to modernize terminology and standardize references to Indigenous people across state code. It would affect how minority business enterprise categories are defined in procurement and contracting programs, how ethnic categories are described in correctional and education data collection, and how certain demographic groups are named in cannabis and economic development provisions. Because the bill is largely conforming and terminology-based, its practical legal impact is primarily on statutory language, administrative forms, and program descriptions rather than on substantive rights or eligibility criteria.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill is likely noncontroversial and technical in nature. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes indicating opposition or debate, and the bill’s purpose is framed as replacing outdated terminology with more current language. The overall sentiment appears supportive or at least neutral, with the measure presented as a broad cleanup and modernization of statutory references.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. If any concerns were raised, they would most likely relate to the scope of the terminology changes across many statutes, including whether replacing “American Indian” with “Indigenous peoples” could create ambiguity in existing legal definitions or administrative implementation. However, the bill text itself preserves the underlying program criteria, and there is no evidence in the record provided of organized opposition or disputed policy changes.