Bills affecting Tribal / Indigenous in New York — 2026 session

Aligns utility regulation with state climate justice and emission reduction targets; provides for a statewide affordable gas transition plan and utility home energy affordable transition programs; repeals provisions relating to continuation of gas service; repeals provisions relating to the sale of indigenous natural gas for generation of electricity.

Permits public schools to utilize or display indigenous names.

Relates to the effectiveness of certain county-tribal detention agreements between the Oneida Indian Nation and Oneida county and Madison county.

Establishes the office of Native American affairs to act as a centralized office for Native American nations to access information on state programs that are provided to Native Americans.

Establishes a missing persons unit within the division of state police; adds women to the responsibility of the missing and exploited children clearinghouse; provides that by January first, two-thousand twenty-seven included in the curriculum for the training of law enforcement shall be missing and exploited women and missing and exploited women and children of color and indigenous descent; requires the reporting duties of law enforcement departments to include missing women, in addition to missing children and vulnerable adults; relates to the missing and exploited women and children clearinghouse fund; relates to the gift for missing and exploited women and children clearinghouse fund.

Expands disclosure requirements for lobbyists to include appropriations, gubernatorial or local executive orders and tribal-state agreements.

Exempts Wantagh union free school district from laws, rules, or regulations regarding the use of indigenous names, mascots, and logos.

Provides for the reinstatement of state recognition and acknowledgement of the Montaukett Indian Nation; provides that the Montaukett Indian nation shall have a chief or sachem, three tribal trustees and a tribal secretary; provides for the qualification of voters; makes related provisions.

Establishes the Native American and Other Historically Marginalized Groups Discrimination and Injustice Commission which shall complete a study and submit a report regarding discrimination and injustices historically and currently faced by indigenous people and other historically marginalized groups living within the state.

Replaces instances of the words or variations of the words American Indian with the words Indigenous peoples or a variation thereof.

Establishes in the department of agriculture and markets a program to purchase fresh produce from farms located in the state and distribute such produce to areas determined by the commissioner of agriculture and markets to be food deserts; promotes opportunities for farm ownership among under-represented farmers, including farmers who are black, indigenous, or people of color.

Provides that "wild animal" means indigenous, non-domesticated animals native to the country in which they live and "exotic animal" means a wild animal with an origin of a different continent; adds certain wild or exotic animals to the list of non-companion animals; provides certain owners of wild or exotic animals with a license process.

Changes the designation of the public holiday of Columbus day to Indigenous People's day.

Requires abandoned property escheat to the Indian nation or tribe that historically occupied the land or to the nearest nation or tribe; establishes such land shall be tribal land.

Corrects language relating to indigenous libraries from Indian libraries.

Provides free use of public campsites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state for members or citizens of state or federally recognized Native American nations.

Directs the comptroller to review and provide a recommendation of approval or modifications, for submission for federal approval of any tribal-state compact approved or executed between the state of New York, the governor, or their designee and an Indian nation or tribe.

Provides that the additional vendor fee for a vendor track located within Oneida county within fifteen miles of a Native American class III gaming facility shall not be forfeited if the track does not maintain the ninety percent full-time equivalent employee requirement.

Exempts Massapequa union free school district from laws, rules, or regulations regarding the use of indigenous names, mascots, and logos.

Provides that a person shall not be deemed to have entered the lands owned or occupied by a nation, tribe, or band of Indians if such person is temporarily and continuously passing through such lands; provides that at the request of the Seneca nation, the superintendent of state police, a sheriff of a county that includes lands of the Seneca nation, or the chief of police of the city of Salamanca may enter into an agreement with the Seneca nation detailing the activities such law enforcement entity will undertake within the nation's federally-recognized Indian Country lands; provides that such agreements shall not be construed to limit powers, duties, and responsibilities to undertake activities on Indian lands; and provides that such agreements may include provisions related to the appointment of tribal members of Nation employees as police officers.