We pass many laws in the state Legislature during session; however, some enacted laws have delayed effective dates. Please see below for the new laws that take effect this month.
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NEW LAWS TAKING EFFECT – JANUARY 2026
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| Effective Date | Chapter | Summary
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| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 56 of 2023 | Raises the hourly minimum wage by 50 cents to $17 an hour in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island and $16 an hour for the rest of New York State. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 772 of 2023
Ch. 102 of 2024 §§1-9 |
Requires limited liability companies (LLCs) to file disclosures with the Department of State identifying beneficial owners. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 424 of 2024 | Requires health insurance policies to provide coverage for additional screenings for breast cancer when the provider deems screening is necessary according to nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 553 of 2024
Ch. 81 of 2025
Ch. 502 of 2025 §§ 9-11 |
Requires health insurance policies to provide coverage for epinephrine auto-injector devices (EpiPens) and caps out-of-pocket costs at $100 per year. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 595 of 2024
Ch. 14 of 2025 |
Requires large group health insurance policies to cover scalp cooling systems for the preservation of hair during cancer chemotherapy treatment. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 641 of 2024
Ch. 20 of 2025 |
Prevents step therapy protocols from requiring an insured to try and fail on more than two drugs used to treat the
same medical condition or disease. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 55 of 2025 Part TT | Establishes a 25-year retirement plan for firefighters employed by the Division of Military and Naval Affairs. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 56 of 2025 Part T | Expands the Healthy Terminals Act to include part-time workers at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International and LaGuardia airports as covered workers ensuring they receive fair pay and benefits. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 59 of 2025 Part O
§§2, 3, 5-8, 11, 12 |
Provides for eligible seniors who receive the Basic STAR exemption to be automatically upgraded to the Enhanced STAR exemption without having to submit a new application to their local assessor. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 59 of 2025 Part KK | Enacts the NY Farm Employer Overtime Credit. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 418 of 2025 | Requires insurance policies to provide space on enrollment, renewal or initial online portal forms to register or decline registration in the Donate Life registry. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 489 of 2025 | Designates the state of New York a purple heart state to honor combat veterans for their service and sacrifice. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 506 of 2025 | Permits a close friend to make decisions regarding anatomical gifts on behalf of deceased individuals. |
| 1/1/2026 | Ch. 670 of 2025 | Establishes a real property tax exemption for the primary residences of surviving spouses of police officers killed in the line of duty. |
| 1/2/2026 | Ch. 677 of 2025
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Authorizes municipalities to offer a real property tax exemption for active military service members who at any time during the taxable year performed active duty in the armed forces in a combat zone. |
| 1/14/2026 | Ch. 478 of 2025 | Requires the Department of Health to establish a registry for the collection of information on the incidence and prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron disease (MND) in the state and provides a method for patients to opt out of the collection of data. |
| 1/14/2026 | Ch. 479 of 2025 | Establishes a state frontotemporal degeneration registry, requires certain information to be confidential and provides a method for patients to opt out of the collection of data. |
| 1/20/2026 | Ch. 189 of 2025 | Requires school safety plans to include a cardiac emergency response plan that addresses the use of personnel and measures to respond to incidents involving sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergencies on any school site owned or operated by a school or at a location of a school sponsored event. |
| 1/20/2026 | Ch. 535 of 2025 | Requires parties in a divorce to notify each other within 10 days of legal or financial events that could impact the marital estate, such as foreclosure or bankruptcy. |
| 1/20/2026 | Ch. 540 of 2025 | Establishes that any communication simulating a document authorized, issued or approved by any court, official, agency of a state or another state or official government entity, that creates a false impression that the document is from that official source is false advertising. |
| 1/20/2026 | Ch. 570 of 2025 | Sets guidelines regarding the computation and allocation of commissions for trustees of charitable trusts. |
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