Enacts the "New York religious freedom act".
This bill would enact the “New York religious freedom act” by adding a new section to the Civil Rights Law. Its stated purpose is to protect religious freedom and prevent state and local government participation in federal efforts that compile lists, registries, or databases of people based on religion, national origin, or ethnicity. The bill is framed as a response to concerns about religious persecution and discrimination, and it declares legislative intent to uphold constitutional protections for free exercise of religion.
The bill would prohibit state and local agencies, and public employees acting under color of law, from sharing personally identifiable information about a person’s religious beliefs, practices, or affiliation with federal authorities for the purpose of creating such lists or databases. It would also bar agencies from using public resources to assist in any government program that compiles such information for law enforcement or immigration purposes, and from making agency database information available for those purposes. In addition, state and local law enforcement agencies would generally be barred from collecting information about religious belief or affiliation, except in limited circumstances such as targeted investigations based on reasonable suspicion and a clear nexus to criminal activity, or when needed to provide religious accommodations.
The bill would also terminate existing agreements, to the extent they conflict with these restrictions, that make agency information or databases available for such purposes. At the same time, it expressly preserves the ability of agencies to share information about citizenship or immigration status, and it allows the compilation and exchange of aggregate, non-personally identifiable data about religion, national origin, or ethnicity. The measure would take effect immediately upon enactment.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly protective of civil liberties and religious freedom, with the sponsors presenting the measure as a safeguard against profiling and government surveillance based on faith or identity. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no additional evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available record.
The main point of potential contention is the bill’s restriction on information sharing and law-enforcement use of data, especially where federal immigration or investigative programs are involved. Supporters would likely view these limits as necessary anti-profiling protections, while critics may argue they could complicate cooperation with federal authorities or limit investigative tools. The narrow exceptions for targeted investigations and religious accommodations appear designed to address some of those concerns.
The bill would amend the Civil Rights Law by adding a new section that limits how state and local agencies may collect, disclose, or use personally identifiable information about religion, national origin, and ethnicity. It would restrict agency cooperation with federal programs that compile registries or databases based on those characteristics, while preserving sharing of citizenship or immigration-status information and allowing aggregate, non-identifiable data collection. It would also affect existing agency agreements and law-enforcement practices by invalidating conflicting arrangements and narrowing when religious information may be collected.
The bill’s tone and stated purpose are strongly supportive of religious liberty, anti-discrimination, and protection from profiling or persecution. The sponsors present it as a civil-rights measure intended to prevent government participation in religious registries or similar surveillance efforts. No vote totals, committee testimony, or recorded opposition are available in the provided materials, so the broader legislative sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s own framing.
The likely points of contention are the limits on state and local cooperation with federal authorities, especially in law-enforcement and immigration contexts, and the prohibition on sharing personally identifiable religious or identity-related information. Supporters would likely emphasize privacy, free exercise, and anti-profiling protections, while opponents may focus on possible burdens on investigations, intergovernmental coordination, and enforcement of federal programs. The bill attempts to reduce controversy by allowing targeted investigations with a clear nexus to criminal activity and by preserving citizenship/immigration-status sharing.