STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8547 IN ASSEMBLY January 8, 2024 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the general construction law, in relation to requiring the use of gender-neutral terms in law The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 22 of the general construction law, as amended by a 2 chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the general construction law relat- 3 ing to requiring the use of gender-neutral terms in law, as proposed in 4 legislative bills numbers S. 155 and A. 1142, is amended to read as 5 follows: 6 § 22. Gender. Whenever words of the masculine or feminine gender 7 appear in any law, rule [or], regulation, or resolution unless the sense 8 of the sentence indicates otherwise, they shall be deemed to refer to 9 persons of any gender. This construction shall apply to gender indic- 10 ative suffixes or prefixes as well as to gender indicative words. When- 11 ever the reference is to a corporation, board, body, group, organization 12 or other entity comprising more than one person or to an assemblage of 13 persons or to an inanimate object the reference shall be construed to be 14 [neuter] neutral in gender. Hereafter, in any law, rule, regulation, 15 [ordinance] or resolution, gendered terms shall not be used and gender- 16 neutral terms, including but not limited to "they", "them" and "theirs", 17 shall be used in substitution therefor and with the same force and 18 effect; provided, however, if any such law, rule, regulation, [ordi- 19 nance] or resolution is in reference to a specific person, the language 20 referring to such person shall be gendered in accordance with the gender 21 identity of such person. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same 23 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the general 24 construction law relating to requiring the use of gender-neutral terms 25 in law, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 155 and A. 1142, 26 takes effect. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01090-02-4