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Senate bill · S5265 (2025-26)

Requires screening incarcerated individuals for eligibility for public benefits prior to release

Latest action May 29, 2026

New York State Senate

Same as A3399, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Sponsor

Jamaal Bailey

State Senator, District 36 · Democratic/Working Families

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Summary

Requires screening incarcerated individuals for eligibility for public benefits prior to release and assistance in applying for such programs; requires officials to seek waivers from the USDA for eligibility for such program.

Summary from NY Open Legislation. How we handle summaries

Amends the Correction Law.

From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 21, 2026. About our data

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Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

Section 1 amends correction law by adding a new section 619-a, which states it should be the duty of an official of any institution under the jurisdiction of the commissioner to cooperate with an authorized agency of the department of social services to screen incarcerated individuals for eligibility for any public benefits program 30 days prior to release and to assist eligible individuals with applying for programs they wish to utilize. Section 2 sets the effective date.

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

Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Up for a vote
  4. Passed one chamber
  5. Passed
  6. Enacted

Committee

Correction · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Crime Victims, Crime And Correction · New York State Senate, Ways and Means · New York State Assembly.

Cosponsors

Andrew Hevesi, Catalina Cruz and 5 more on Agora

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab)
  • Democratic6
  • Republican1

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

The sponsor's argument

Why Jamaal Bailey says this is needed

Across 30 states, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found that approximately 68% were rearrested within three years of their release and approximately 77% within five years of their release. Access to basic social services such as food assistance can help incarcerated individuals reenter their communities and avoid cycling in and out of the criminal justice system. Lack of access to food is the immediate issue that most individuals leaving the system experience. They are twice as likely to suffer food insecurity as the general population, with 1 in 5 formerly incarcerated individuals finding it difficult to obtain regular meals according to the Prison Policy Initiative. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been shown to help reduce food insecurity. A study done by the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture found that receiving SNAP benefits decreases the probability of being food insecure by about 30% and the probability of being very food insecure by about 20%. To avoid recidivism and to achieve successful reentry into their commu- nities, it requires being able to meet basic needs such as access to food which has led to states like Illinois and California expanding and/or putting into place pre-release SNAP benefits programs this year, respectively. This legislation would seek to ensure that incarcerated individuals can apply for public benefits 30 days before they are released which will allow them to begin to acquire stability in their lives and to support themselves and their families once they are back in their communities. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE): The A-print amends the screening requirement to screen for eligibility in any public benefit program.

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.

Recorded votes

  • Vote: Floor vote

    NY SenateMay 19, 2026Result: passed

    (50) (9) (0) (4)

  • Vote: Floor vote

    NY SenateMar 17, 2026Result: passed

    (50) (12) (0) (1)

  • Vote: Committee vote · Crime Victims, Crime And Correction

    Senate Crime Victims, Crime And CorrectionFeb 24, 2026Result: passed

    (6) (0) (0) (1)

  • Vote: Floor vote

    NY SenateJun 6, 2025Result: passed

    (41) (12) (0) (10)

  • Vote: Committee vote · Crime Victims, Crime And Correction

    Senate Crime Victims, Crime And CorrectionMar 25, 2025Result: passed

    (6) (0) (0) (1)

Full history

  1. May 29, 2026

    Ordered to Third Reading Rules CAL.222

    ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.222

    NY Assembly

  2. May 29, 2026

    Substituted

    SUBSTITUTED BY S5265A

    NY Assembly

  3. May 28, 2026

    Reported out of committee

    REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES

    NY Assembly

  4. May 28, 2026

    Rules Report CAL.222

    RULES REPORT CAL.222

    NY Assembly

  5. May 19, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS

    NY Assembly

Show full history (24 earlier events)
  1. May 19, 2026

    Passed a chamber

    REPASSED SENATE

    NY Senate

  2. May 19, 2026

    Returned to Assembly

    RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  3. Apr 21, 2026

    Reported out of committee

    REPORTED REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS

    NY Assembly

  4. Apr 16, 2026

    Amended

    AMENDED ON THIRD READING (T) 5265A

    NY Senate

  5. Apr 16, 2026

    Recalled From Assembly

    RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  6. Apr 16, 2026

    Returned to Senate

    RETURNED TO SENATE

    NY Assembly

  7. Apr 15, 2026

    Amend (t) and Recommit to Correction

    AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO CORRECTION

    NY Assembly

  8. Mar 17, 2026

    Sent to the executive

    DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  9. Mar 17, 2026

    Passed a chamber

    PASSED SENATE

    NY Senate

  10. Mar 17, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CORRECTION

    NY Assembly

  11. Mar 4, 2026

    Advanced to Third Reading

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

    NY Senate

  12. Feb 26, 2026

    2ND Report CAL.

    2ND REPORT CAL.

    NY Senate

  13. Feb 25, 2026

    1ST Report CAL.423

    1ST REPORT CAL.423

    NY Senate

  14. Jan 7, 2026

    Died in Assembly

    DIED IN ASSEMBLY

    NY Assembly

  15. Jan 7, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CORRECTION

    NY Assembly

  16. Jan 7, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION

    NY Senate

  17. Jun 6, 2025

    Sent to the executive

    DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  18. Jun 6, 2025

    Passed a chamber

    PASSED SENATE

    NY Senate

  19. Jun 6, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CORRECTION

    NY Assembly

  20. Mar 27, 2025

    Advanced to Third Reading

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

    NY Senate

  21. Mar 26, 2025

    2ND Report CAL.

    2ND REPORT CAL.

    NY Senate

  22. Mar 25, 2025

    1ST Report CAL.607

    1ST REPORT CAL.607

    NY Senate

  23. Feb 20, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION

    NY Senate

  24. Jan 27, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CORRECTION

    NY Assembly