Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateFeb 3, 2026Result: passed
(46) (14) (0) (1)
Sponsor · State Senator, District 19 · Democratic
Senate bill · S518 (2025-26)
Requires the inclusion of cultural competency training in the basic training and pre-employment course curricula for police, firefighters…
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Requires the inclusion of cultural competency training in the basic training and pre-employment course curricula for police, firefighters, correction officers and first responders
The heading above is this same sentence with its legal opening removed. No words were added, changed or reordered.
Latest action Mar 9, 2026
Summary
Requires the inclusion of cultural competency training in the basic training and pre-employment course curricula for state police officers and municipal police officers and sheriffs, members of fire departments and companies, corrections officers, first responders, emergency medical technicians and advanced emergency medical technicians.
Your position on this bill
Not chosen yet
Where it stands
Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Up for a vote
- Passed one chamber
- Passed
- Enacted
New York State Senate
Same as A5501, the matching bill in the Assembly.
Amends the Executive Law.
Committee
Finance · New York State Senate
Also referred to Governmental Operations · New York State Assembly.
Purpose, from the sponsor's memo
This legislation would mandate all first responder training courses including those for municipal police officers, State Police, corrections officers, firefighters, and EMS, to require that five percent of the overall content and courses required for these professions consist of cultural competency training. These trainings should specifically focus on biases related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, reli- gion, age, disability, and special needs, among others.
Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)
Recorded votes
Vote: Committee vote · Finance
Senate FinanceJan 20, 2026Result: passed
(19) (2) (0) (1)Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMay 29, 2025Result: passed
(43) (13) (0) (7)Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMay 19, 2025Result: passed
(44) (12) (0) (6)Vote: Committee vote · Finance
Senate FinanceJan 21, 2025Result: passed
(18) (3) (0) (1)
Cosponsors
The sponsor's argument
Why Roxanne J. Persaud says this is needed
Currently, the various state agencies that oversee training courses only require minimal hours of cultural competency training throughout the entire course. This means that these individuals could spend as little as 1 percent of their training focused on issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, special needs and disability. According to a 2022 U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statics bulletin: " State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies' Training Topics and Instructors, 2022", police officers typi- cally receive about 177 hours on firearm skills and self-defense; 44 hours on community policing strategies (up from 40 hours in 2016); but only 13 hours on cultural competency and human relations and 14 hours on mediation and conflict management. Additional training will not only assist in handling racial biases, but countless other situations that our first responders and corrections officers find themselves in during their careers, including mental health crises, interactions with the LGBTQ community, and domestic and sexual abuse cases, as a few examples.
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 9, 2026
Amend (t) and Recommit to Governmental Operations
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
- Feb 3, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
- Feb 3, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
- Feb 3, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
- Jan 27, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Show full history (21 earlier events)Show less history
- Jan 21, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
- Jan 20, 2026
1ST Report CAL.111
1ST REPORT CAL.111
NY Senate
- Jan 9, 2026
Amend (t) and Recommit to Finance
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO FINANCE
NY Senate
- Jan 8, 2026
Amend (t) and Recommit to Finance
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO FINANCE
NY Senate
- Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
- Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO FINANCE
NY Senate
- Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
- May 29, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
- May 29, 2025
Passed a chamber
REPASSED SENATE
NY Senate
- May 29, 2025
Returned to Assembly
RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
- May 20, 2025
Amended
AMENDED ON THIRD READING 518A
NY Senate
- May 20, 2025
Recalled From Assembly
RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
- May 20, 2025
Returned to Senate
RETURNED TO SENATE
NY Assembly
- May 19, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
- May 19, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
- May 19, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
- Feb 14, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
- Jan 27, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
- Jan 22, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
- Jan 21, 2025
1ST Report CAL.109
1ST REPORT CAL.109
NY Senate
- Jan 8, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO FINANCE
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.
- Cosponsors
The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
- Party colors
Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
- Source
From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 2, 2026. About our data
Read the record
- Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.