Ends the local option of towns and cities to prohibit the sale of alcohol; repealer

Latest action Mar 24, 2026

Ends the local option of towns and cities to prohibit the sale of alcohol.

Not chosen yet

Where it stands

Out of committee and scheduled for a vote by the full chamber.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Amends the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.

Committee

Investigations And Government Operations · New York State Senate

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

This bill would eliminate all current - and prohibit any future - dry communities in New York State.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Committee vote · Investigations And Government Operations
Senate Investigations And Government OperationsMar 24, 2026Result: passed
(6) (1) (0) (0)
Vote: Committee vote · Investigations And Government Operations
Senate Investigations And Government OperationsMar 17, 2025Result: passed
(6) (1) (0) (0)

The sponsor's argument

Why James Skoufis says this is needed

Despite being an antiquated relic of the temperance movement, a handful of dry municipalities still exist in NYS, where an individual of lawful age and sound mind cannot purchase an alcoholic beverage. In modern society, the sale and consumption of alcohol is an extremely tightly regulated industry. Many local, state, and federal health, safety, and economic protections exist to ensure that alcohol is sold and consumed as responsibly as possible. Dry communities can also force residents and visitors to travel greater distances to enjoy libations, leading to public safety hazards. This bill would broaden consumer choice, spur new business, and integrate outlier municipalities with the rest of the state in relation to the permitted sale of alcohol.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Mar 24, 2026
Reported out of committee
REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
NY Senate
Mar 17, 2025
Reported out of committee
REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
NY Senate
Jan 8, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
NY Senate

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 29, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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