STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8074 IN SENATE January 5, 2024 ___________ Introduced by Sen. KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules 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