STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5501 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BUTTENSCHON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, the general municipal law and the town law, in relation to requiring the inclusion of diversity and inclusion training in the basic training and pre-employment course curriculums for state police officers and municipal police officers and sheriffs; to amend the general municipal law, in relation to requiring the inclusion of diversity and inclusion training in the basic training and pre-employment course curricula for members of fire departments and companies; to amend the correction law, in relation to requiring the inclusion of diversity and inclusion training in the basic training and pre-employment course curricula for correction officers; and to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring the inclusion of diversity and inclusion training in the basic train- ing and pre-employment course curricula for career first responders, emergency medical technicians and advanced emergency medical techni- cians The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 214-j 2 to read as follows: 3 § 214-j. Training. 1. The superintendent shall establish policies and 4 procedures requiring that state police basic training and pre-employment 5 course curricula include training in the areas of diversity and inclu- 6 sion, including training pertaining to appropriate sensitivity to issues 7 of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age and disa- 8 bilities. Such training shall comprise not less than five percent of the 9 basic training and pre-employment course training curricula. Diversity 10 training shall be provided by an accredited educator and/or accredi- 11 tation body. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02186-02-5
A. 5501 2 1 2. The accreditation body shall provide information pertaining to such 2 policies and procedures to municipal law enforcement agencies and 3 departments, fire departments, the department of corrections and commu- 4 nity supervision and the department of health for implementation of such 5 curricula by such agencies and departments. 6 3. The superintendent of the state police shall promulgate rules and 7 regulations necessary to effectuate the provisions of this section. 8 § 2. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 9 208-i to read as follows: 10 § 208-i. Mandatory police officer diversity training. The chief offi- 11 cer of every police department and sheriff's office in the state shall 12 establish and implement basic training and pre-employment course curric- 13 ula for all members of such office or department and for all current and 14 new officer employees in accordance with the diversity policies and 15 procedures established pursuant to section two hundred fourteen-j of the 16 executive law. 17 § 3. Section 204-d of the general municipal law, as amended by section 18 44 of part B of chapter 56 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as 19 follows: 20 § 204-d. Duties of the fire chief. 1. The fire chief of any fire 21 department or company shall, in addition to any other duties assigned to 22 [him] such fire chief by law or contract, to the extent reasonably 23 possible determine or cause to be determined the cause of each fire or 24 explosion which the fire department or company has been called to 25 suppress. [He] Such fire chief shall file with the office of fire 26 prevention and control a report containing such determination and any 27 additional information required by such office regarding the fire or 28 explosion. The report shall be in the form designated by such office. 29 [He] Such fire chief shall contact or cause to be contacted the appro- 30 priate investigatory authority if [he] such fire chief has reason to 31 believe the fire or explosion is of incendiary or suspicious origin. For 32 all fires that are suspected to have been ignited by a cigarette, within 33 fourteen days after completing the investigation into such fire, the 34 fire chief shall forward to the office of fire prevention and control 35 information detailing, to the extent possible: (a) the specific brand 36 and style of the cigarette suspected of having ignited such fire; (b) 37 whether the cigarette package was marked as required by subdivision six 38 of section one hundred fifty-six-c of the executive law; and (c) the 39 location and manner in which such cigarette was purchased. 40 2. The fire chief of any fire department or company in the state shall 41 establish and implement basic training and pre-employment course curric- 42 ula for all members of such fire department or company and for all 43 current and new employees in accordance with the diversity policies and 44 procedures established pursuant to section two hundred fourteen-j of the 45 executive law. 46 § 4. The town law is amended by adding a new section 155-a to read as 47 follows: 48 § 155-a. Mandatory police officer diversity training. The chief offi- 49 cer of every police department in the state shall establish and imple- 50 ment basic training and pre-employment course curricula for all members 51 of such office and for all current and new officer employees in accord- 52 ance with the diversity policies and procedures established pursuant to 53 section two hundred fourteen-j of the executive law. 54 § 5. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 22-b to 55 read as follows:
A. 5501 3 1 § 22-b. Mandatory correction officer diversity training. The commis- 2 sioner shall establish and implement basic training and pre-employment 3 course curricula for all members of the department and for all current 4 and new officer employees in accordance with the diversity policies and 5 procedures established pursuant to section two hundred fourteen-j of the 6 executive law. 7 § 6. Section 3002 of the public health law is amended by adding a new 8 subdivision 2-c to read as follows: 9 2-c. The commissioner, in consultation with the state emergency 10 medical services council, shall establish and implement basic training 11 and pre-employment course curricula for all current career first respon- 12 ders, emergency medical technicians and advanced emergency medical tech- 13 nicians and for all new first responders, emergency medical technicians 14 and advanced emergency medical technicians in accordance with the diver- 15 sity policies and procedures established pursuant to section two hundred 16 fourteen-j of the executive law. 17 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.