BILL NUMBER: S518C
SPONSOR: PERSAUD
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, the general municipal law, the town
law, the correction law and the public health law, in relation to
requiring the inclusion of cultural competency training in the basic
training and pre-employment course curricula for police, firefighters,
correction officers and first responders
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation would mandate all first responder training courses
including those for municipal police officers, State Police, corrections
officers, firefighters, and EMS, to require that five percent of the
overall content and courses required for these professions consist of
cultural competency training. These trainings should specifically focus
on biases related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, reli-
gion, age, disability, and special needs, among others.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Sections 1 adds a new section 214-g to the executive law requiring the
Superintendent of the State Police to establish policies and procedures
requiring training courses for the New York State Police to include
training in the areas of cultural competency, including specific train-
ing pertaining to sensitivity to issues of race, ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation, religion, age, and disability, special needs, among
others. The section also sets forth that training curricula on this
matter will not comprise less than five percent of the course curric-
ulum.
Sections 2-6 add a section to the general municipal law, the town law,
the correction law, and the public health law mandating municipal police
officers, firefighters, corrections officers, first responders, emergen-
cy medical technicians and advanced emergency medical technicians train-
ing courses implement the same training requirements as found in section
214-g of the executive law.
Section 7 sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, the various state agencies that oversee training courses only
require minimal hours of cultural competency training throughout the
entire course. This means that these individuals could spend as little
as 1 percent of their training focused on issues related to race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, special needs and
disability. According to a 2022 U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of
Justice Statics bulletin: " State and Local Law Enforcement Training
Academies' Training Topics and Instructors, 2022", police officers typi-
cally receive about 177 hours on firearm skills and self-defense; 44
hours on community policing strategies (up from 40 hours in 2016); but
only 13 hours on cultural competency and human relations and 14 hours on
mediation and conflict management.
Additional training will not only assist in handling racial biases, but
countless other situations that our first responders and corrections
officers find themselves in during their careers, including mental
health crises, interactions with the LGBTQ community, and domestic and
sexual abuse cases, as a few examples.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2025: S518A - Passed Senate
2023-2024: S1211 - Passed Senate
2021-2022: S341-A Referred to Finance
2020: S8579 Referred to Rules
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act Shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S518: 204-d general municipal law, 3002 public health law
S518A: 204-d general municipal law, 3002 public health law
S518B: 204-d general municipal law, 3002 public health law
S518C: 204-d general municipal law, 3002 public health law