June 12, 2026
The 2026 Legislative Session has now concluded. Both legislative chambers officially adjourned on Friday, June 5, with the Senate gaveling out at 1am, followed by the Assembly which wrapped up their work after 8pm later that day. Legislators have now returned home to their districts, many facing primary or general election challenges, and an exodus of lawmakers not running for reelection including Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris (D-Queens) and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Buffalo).
As of adjournment, the Legislature passed 759 individual bills, while Governor Hochul had already signed 125 bills into law, including a significant number of chapter amendments—bills which include negotiated changes to underlying laws enacted in 2025. Bills that have passed both houses but have not yet been acted upon by the Governor must be transmitted to her desk before the end of the year for her signature, veto, or further chapter amendment negotiations. Because 2026 is the second year of the two-year legislative cycle, any bill that did not pass both houses this year will die and must be reintroduced with new bill numbers in the next session.
Protracted negotiations over the state’s $277 billion budget dominated the session, with final passage of budget bills only one week prior to the last scheduled day of session. State lawmakers passed over 500 bills in the final week, including numerous healthcare reforms relating to new data privacy protections, requirements for pharmacy benefit managers, new health insurance coverage requirements, and a package of vaccine policies responding to federal ACIP and vaccine schedule changes.
Attached is a sector-by-sector summary of the bills passed by both the Senate and Assembly in the Health and Mental Hygiene areas this session. We have noted below the legislation that has already been acted on by Governor Hochul while most have yet to be transmitted to her desk for consideration but must be by the end of the calendar year. The bill text for any bill can be viewed at: https://nyassembly.gov/leg/