Bill > S03505

This bill establishes the "Defund Municipalities that Defund the Police Act," which creates a mechanism to withhold state funding from local governments that significantly reduce their police department budgets. Specifically, the bill defines a "defunding municipality" as a political subdivision (like a county, city, town, or village) that either completely abolishes its police department without plans to recreate it or substantially cuts its police budget without reallocating those funds to community-policing programs, unless the jurisdiction experienced a significant revenue decrease. The director of the division of budget would be required to withhold state funding from such municipalities, with the amount of funding withheld directly proportional to the percentage of budget reduction. The withholding would be calculated exclusively of funds diverted to other community-policing programs, and the state would reverse the funding reduction if the municipality demonstrates it no longer qualifies as a "defunding municipality." The bill aims to financially discourage local governments from significantly reducing police funding without providing alternative public safety approaches.

Budget and Finance

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3505