S8492 • 2025

Establishes a digital legal mail program

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Dan Stec
Last action: 2026-05-05
Official status: In Senate Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Establishes a digital legal mail program

Establishes a digital legal mail program Establishes a digital legal mail program for the delivery of privileged correspondences to incarcerated individuals housed at correctional facilities; requires law offices sending legal mail via digital platforms to incarcerated individuals to register with the department of corrections.

What This Bill Does

Establishes a digital legal mail program Establishes a digital legal mail program for the delivery of privileged correspondences to incarcerated individuals housed at correctional facilities; requires law offices sending legal mail via digital platforms to incarcerated individuals to register with the department of corrections.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-05 Senate
DEFEATED IN CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
2026-03-06 Senate
NOTICE OF COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION - REQUESTED
2026-01-07 Senate
REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
2025-08-29 Senate
REFERRED TO RULES

Official Summary Text

Establishes a digital legal mail program
Establishes a digital legal mail program for the delivery of privileged correspondences to incarcerated individuals housed at correctional facilities; requires law offices sending legal mail via digital platforms to incarcerated individuals to register with the department of corrections.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8492

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                    I N  S E N A T E

                                     August 29, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  STEC  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the  correction  law,  in  relation  to  establishing  a
          digital legal mail program

          THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section 1. Section 112 of the correction law is amended  by  adding  a
     2  new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
     3    7.  (A)  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ESTABLISH A DIGITAL LEGAL MAIL PROGRAM
     4  FOR THE DELIVERY OF ALL PRIVILEGED CORRESPONDENCES RECEIVED BY INCARCER-
     5  ATED INDIVIDUALS HOUSED AT CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. SUCH  PROGRAM  SHALL
     6  REQUIRE ALL LAW OFFICES TO REGISTER WITH THE DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO RECEIV-
     7  ING  CLEARANCE TO SEND LEGAL MAIL VIA A DIGITAL PLATFORM TO AN INCARCER-
     8  ATED INDIVIDUAL.
     9    (B) LEGAL MAIL SHALL BE SENT TO A SECURE DIGITAL LOCATION  MANAGED  BY
    10  THE DEPARTMENT.
    11    (C)  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY
    12  TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION, WHICH SHALL COMPLY WITH
    13  ALL LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS AFFORDED TO INCARCERATED  INDI-
    14  VIDUALS IN REGARD TO PRIVILEGED CORRESPONDENCES.
    15    (D)  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  PROMULGATE  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS FOR
    16  INSTANCES WHERE THE DIGITAL TRANSMISSION OF LEGAL MAIL IS NEITHER POSSI-
    17  BLE NOR  PRACTICAL,  WHILE  PROVIDING  FOR  ALL  GERMANE  CONSTITUTIONAL
    18  PROTECTIONS.   ALL LEGAL MAIL THAT IS NOT TRANSMITTED DIGITALLY SHALL BE
    19  SCREENED PRIOR TO DELIVERY TO INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13684-01-5