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.
| NEW LAWS TAKING EFFECT – JULY 2026 | ||
| Effective Date | Chapter | Summary |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 82 of 2023 | Requires carpet producers to establish a carpet collection and recycling program that is free to consumers. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 657 of 2024
Ch. 93 of 2025 |
Requires state agencies, boards, and commissions to include specific categories for Middle Eastern and North African communities in demographic data. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 419 of 2025 | Requires school districts to provide information regarding water safety to parents and guardians of students and post the information on the school district’s website. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 422 of 2025
Ch. 57 of 2026 Part G, §2-c |
Requires nonpublic schools to provide and maintain automatic external defibrillator (AED) equipment and requires operators of AEDs to complete a training course consistent with standards approved by the Department of Health. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 505 of 2025 | Provides for in-state tuition rates at SUNY and CUNY for any Team USA athlete or international athlete training in New York State. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 526 of 2025 | Provides that a scholarship for academic excellence that is declined by a student prior to the end of their high school program will be granted to the next most qualified student. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 547 of 2025 | Authorizes the commissioner of education to declare a disaster has substantially impacted an annual meeting and election and to allow school boards to set an additional day for voting if less than 8 percent of registered voters cast ballots as a result of a disaster. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 599 of 2025 | Requires each institution of higher education to make publicly available its policy on notifying the parent, guardian, or emergency contact of a student under 21 of certain controlled substance and alcohol violations, including rule infractions, and controlled substance or alcohol related hospitalizations or overdoses. Also requires colleges and institutions to conduct regular training on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 669 of 2025
Ch. 15 of 2026 |
Provides a rebuttable presumption for recertification as a minority and women-owned business enterprise if there is no change in the ownership or capital contribution and no material change in the nature or management of the enterprise from the time of approval of the previous certification. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 678 of 2025
Ch. 35 of 2026 |
Exempts meal swipe donations and college food points from sales tax, encouraging donations for food-insecure students. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 56 of 2026
PART A, §27 §§1, 2, 2-a, 2-b, 4-9, 13, 20, 24
|
Enacts provisions of the budget related to education, including contracts for excellence, foundation aid, the homeless and foster count, universal prekindergarten, maximum class sizes for special classes for certain students with disabilities and funding for magnet schools. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 56 of 2026
Part F
|
Expands the Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program to include individuals pursuing a master’s degree in early childhood education. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 57 of 2026
Part M, §§11-12
|
Ensures health care coverage for children under the age of 19 through Medicaid and Child Health Plus. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 58 of 2026
Part J |
Enacts the Dairy Promotion Act to strengthen the marketing of agricultural products in New York. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 59 of 2026
Part HH |
Authorizes New York City to impose a surcharge on property that does not serve as a primary residence. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 652 of 2025
Ch. 95 of 2026 §§1-3
|
Requires contractors to provide safety training for telecommunications tower technicians. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 155 of 2026 | Extends the deadline for class size reductions under contracts for excellence for schools in New York City until 2030. |
| 7/1/2026 | Ch. 157 of 2026 | Increases certain special accidental death benefits paid to a widow or widower or the children of a deceased member of the state and local retirement system. |
| 7/5/2026 | Ch. 120 of 2026 | Expands the timeframe for adoptive parents to pay or reimburse a birth mother’s expenses to 180 days prior to birth and 45 days after birth. |
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