NYS Council of Churches 2026 Legislative Priorities
December 15, 2025 Meeting with The Governor’s Office of Faith & Non-Profit Development
Agenda
Working Agreements
Introductions
Introductions: The NYSCOC Social Justice Commission
The Commission is responsible for:
NYSCOC Social Justice Commissioners
Ms. Karen Beetle
Mayra Melendez
Mr. Roger Cook
Ms. Roni Minter
Mr. Peter Crasto-Donnelly
Rev. Dr. Cris Mogenson
Rev. Alan Daily
Rev. Heidi Neumark
Ms. Rosa De La Cruz
Elder Chibueze Okorie
Mr. Terrence Diggory
Rev. John Paarlberg
Ms. Carlene Doane
Mr. Ravi Ragbir
Ms. Liz Estes
Rev. Cathy Rieley-Goddard
Rev. Charles Ryu
Rev. Petero Sabune
Rev. Bruce Gillette
Ms. Dawedo Sanon
Ms. Dahlia Herring
Ms. Jillian Smith
Ms. Nancy Horan
Rev. Tanya Spencer
Mr. Richard Horan
Sr. Phyillis Tierney
Mr. Fred Jackson
Mr. Alex Tindal Wiesendanger
Ms. Mickey Jimenez
Rev. Terry Troia
Rev. Abi John
Rev. Dr. Erwin Trollinger
Rev. Jim Ketcham
Mr. Gary VanKennen
Mr. Djifa Kothor
Rev. Judy VanKennen
Ms. Carrie Kuehl
Ms. Ellen Whitt
Rev. Dustin Longmire Wright
Rev. Dr. William Wilkinson
Ms. Iridian Lucas-Garcia
Mr. Yonah Zeitz
Rev. Paul Fleck
Mr. Brian McCormick
Rev. John Flack
Ms. Jahaira Rolden
Working Group Updates
Criminal Justice Legislative Priority Recommendations
•Youth Justice:
–Defend Raise the Age law; ensure full youth programming; resist rollbacks.
•Solitary Confinement Reform:
–Protect HALT Act; prevent expanded solitary; support humane alternatives.
•Prison & Jail Oversight:
–Support Robert Brooks Omnibus Bill for statewide oversight improvements.
–Advance Albany County Jail civilian oversight legislation.
•Sentencing Reform:
–Marvin Mayfield Act: End mandatory minimums.
–Second Look Act: Allow sentence review after 10 years/half sentence.
–Earned Time Act: Expand good-time and merit-time credits.
Criminal Justice Legislative Priority Recommendations
•Parole Reform:
–Elder Parole: Parole consideration for adults 55+ after 15 years.
–Fair & Timely Parole: Review based on rehabilitation and current risk.
–Fully Staff Parole Board with 19 qualified commissioners.
•Prison Labor & Economic Justice:
–Prison Wage Act: Pay incarcerated workers at least half minimum wage.
–No Slavery in NY Act: Ban all forced prison labor.
–Fairness & Opportunity Act: Create prison labor board; end Corcraft preference.
–Commissary Price Cap: Limit prices to 3% over cost.
Environmental/ Climate Justice
PACKAGING REDUCTION AND RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE ACT (A1749/S1464)
Requires producers to reduce single-use packaging, improve recyclability, and fund local recycling infrastructure—shifting costs from taxpayers to manufacturers.
STOP CLIMATE POLLUTER HANDOUTS ACT (S3606 Krueger / A3675 Simon)
Ends taxpayer subsidies and financial incentives for fossil fuel companies, redirecting state resources toward clean energy and climate-friendly investments.
ACCELERATE SOLAR FOR AFFORDABLE POWER (ASAP) ACT (A8758 Barrett / S6570 Harckham)
Expands access to affordable solar energy by streamlining installation, increasing incentives, and ensuring low- to moderate-income households can participate in and benefit from solar programs.
RENEWABLE CAPITOL ACT (A3466 Romero / S4842 Fahy)
Requires New York’s Capitol and Empire State Plaza to transition to 100% renewable energy, making state government a model for clean energy leadership and emissions reduction.
Immigration Working Group Recommendations:
Protecting Our Sensitive Locations Act S4121
Purpose of the Bill (2025/S4121): Restores protections for “sensitive locations” in New York State (such as houses of worship, schools, healthcare facilities, and social service sites) by prohibiting non-emergency immigration enforcement actions in those spaces
Background: The federal government rescinded the long-standing policy protecting sensitive locations in January 2025, leaving these spaces vulnerable to ICE enforcement actions and creating fear that undermines access to worship, healthcare, education, and essential social services.
Impact on Communities: Without protections, attendance and participation in religious services, social programs, and healthcare have declined, as people fear being detained. This burdens the free exercise of religion, diminishes public safety, and harms community well-being.
Legal Considerations: The bill does not conflict with federal law or permit “harboring”; it aligns with constitutional protections, allows full emergency responses, and carries no cost to government. It simply reinstates protections for sensitive locations at the state-level.
Immigration Working Group Recommendations
Policy / Bill Name | Status (2025) | What It Does / Key Provisions |
Access to Representation Act (S141 / A270) | Active (2025-2026 session) (New York State Senate) | Grants a right to legal counsel for low-income or indigent immigrants in removal (immigration-court) proceedings; requires NY State to fund and administer legal representation via a state-level office. (New York State Senate) |
Mandating End to Lawless Tactics (MELT) Act (S8462 / A8908) | Active — introduced July 2025 (New York State Senate) | Prohibits law enforcement officers — including federal immigration agents (e.g. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE) — from wearing masks or personal disguises while interacting with the public; requires clear identification (uniforms / name badges); bans anonymous or covert civil-immigration enforcement. (New York State Senate) |
Bill Prohibiting Status-Inquiries & Detainer-Based Detentions by Local/School/State Officers (as introduced in 2025 — e.g. S2235-A / related legislation) | Introduced (2025) (LegiScan) | Prevents local/state police officers, school resource officers, probation officers, and other authorities from questioning individuals about immigration or citizenship status, responding to ICE detainers, transferring custody to immigration authorities, or entering immigration status into state databases — unless required by law or benefit-program rules. (LegiScan) |
Housing Justice Legislative Priority Recommendations
S3397/A3647 - Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act- This bill supports faith-based organizations in developing affordable housing on property they own. It provides guidelines and incentives to enable these organizations to turn unused or underutilized land into housing while maintaining their community missions. The act also includes provisions for partnerships with local governments and nonprofits to streamline the process.
Housing Access Voucher Program (S568B Kavanaugh / A4021A Rosenthal): Establishes a rental assistance program that provides housing vouchers to eligible individuals and families at risk of homelessness. Administered by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the program ensures that tenants pay no more than 30% of their income on rent. Budget Ask: $ 100 million.
S2523 – Jobs and Housing Pilot Program Act
Establishes a jobs and housing pilot program aimed at creating construction industry jobs while addressing the housing shortage in New York. The program would support development and redevelopment of affordable housing targeted to individuals earning up to 130 % of area median income, linking job creation in housing construction with efforts to expand affordable housing supply.
S8595 – Foreclosure Calculation Standards
Establishes clear rules for how amounts owed in certain foreclosure actions are calculated. The bill requires referees to itemize and document all sums owed (including principal, interest, fees, and costs) and use the auction bid date as the standard valuation date for computing debt, unless a court orders otherwise.
Housing Justice Legislative Priority Recommendations
S401 – Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act
Establishes the “Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act” to help prevent displacement of middle- and lower-income tenants. The bill would give tenants a formal chance to purchase the property they rent (a right of first refusal) before it’s sold to others, aiming to preserve affordable housing and support tenant ownership or continued residence.
S1403-A (2023) – Winter Moratorium on Evictions Act
Proposes a “Winter Moratorium on Evictions” by amending Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law and Real Property Law to restrict execution of residential eviction warrants to between April 16 and October 31 each year, aiming to limit evictions during winter months and help keep tenants housed in cold weather.
Right to Counsel (S2721 May): Establishes the New York State Office of Civil Representation to provide legal services to tenants facing eviction, helping approximately 46,600 households outside New York City. Budget Ask: $260 million.
Bill in development- Working with Senator James Sanders office to draft a New York State Eviction Expungement law. Would cover New Yorkers who had evictions filed, but where no eviction occurred or limit reporting of an eviction that did occur to 2 years.
Discussion