Bill Text: NY S01431 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Relates to acknowledging that the institution of slavery was an appalling tragedy in the history of this state.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS [S01431 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01431-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1431

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 11, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens. BAILEY, KENNEDY, KRUEGER, PARKER -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Investigations and Government Operations

        AN  ACT  to amend chapter 137 of the laws of 1817 relating to slaves and
          servants, in relation to acknowledging the tragedy of slavery  in  New
          York state

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

     1    Section 1. Chapter 137 of the laws of  1817  relating  to  slaves  and
     2  servants is amended by adding a new section XXXII-a to read as follows:
     3    §  XXXII-a.    Acknowledges  that  slavery,  the transatlantic and the
     4  domestic slave trade were appalling tragedies in the history of New York
     5  state not only because of their abhorrent barbarism but also in terms of
     6  their magnitude, organized nature and especially their negation  of  the
     7  humanity of the enslaved person. The government of the state of New York
     8  further  acknowledges  that  the  institutions  of slavery and the slave
     9  trade in enslaved persons are now and should  always  have  been  crimes
    10  against this state as well as crimes against humanity. The government of
    11  the  state  of New York formally apologizes for its role in sanctioning,
    12  exploiting and perpetuating slavery  and  its  vestiges,  including  the
    13  enactment  of  slave  codes  that  created the exploitation and abuse of
    14  children, and the dissolution of their families as  personified  by  the
    15  life and legacy of Sojourner Truth.
    16    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.



         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04482-01-3