Bill > A01577

This bill proposes an amendment to the New York State Constitution that would require the governor to appear before the state legislature in a joint session once per year to answer oral questions for two hours. The bill primarily modifies Section 7 of Article 4 of the state constitution, which currently outlines the governor's bill-signing procedures. In addition to the existing language about how bills become law, the proposed amendment would add a new subsection mandating an annual question-and-answer session between the governor and legislators. The bill also includes standard constitutional amendment procedures, such as referring the proposed changes to the first regular legislative session after the next general election and requiring the amendment to be published for three months before that election. As part of the amendment, the bill updates gender-specific language (changing "he or she" to "the governor") throughout the existing constitutional text, making the language gender-neutral. This proposed change aims to increase gubernatorial accountability by providing a formalized opportunity for legislators to directly question the governor about state affairs.

Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1577