Bill > S01086

This bill, known as the Empire State Licensing Act, aims to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to professional, occupational, commercial, or business licenses, permits, certificates, or related registrations regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. It achieves this by amending various laws, including the Civil Rights Law, Public Officers Law, Tax Law, and Education Law, to prohibit discrimination based on immigration or citizenship status when issuing or renewing licenses. The bill defines "license" broadly to encompass any state or local government-issued permission to operate, and "issuing entity" as any public body that grants such permissions. It explicitly states that existing requirements for U.S. citizenship or permanent residency for licenses are nullified, and issuing entities are prohibited from inquiring about or requiring proof of an applicant's citizenship or immigration status. Furthermore, the bill mandates that issuing entities develop policies to evaluate foreign or domestic experience for equivalency to existing requirements and make application processes accessible in an applicant's primary language if English proficiency is not essential. It also establishes strict confidentiality measures for applicant information, limiting its retention and disclosure to specific legal circumstances, and amends several laws to remove citizenship or permanent residency requirements for various professions and licenses, such as physicians, veterinarians, and attorneys, while also repealing certain provisions related to these requirements.