Legislative Bulletin: The Close of the 2026 State Legislative Session

June 12, 2026

Although this marks the final Legislative Bulletin of the year, our advocacy work continues. LeadingAge New York will share periodic updates through Tuesday Intelligence and direct member alerts when necessary, and we encourage members to stay engaged in advocacy efforts through the Public Affairs Council and LeadingAge National Policy Pulse calls.

2026 State Legislative Session Wrap-Up & Bill Summary

The New York State Legislature concluded their 2026 legislative work on June 5^th, with the Assembly adjourning at the call of the Speaker. This year, the state budget’s late finalization date of May 27^th significantly compressed the end of the legislative calendar, leaving lawmakers with just over a week to pass priority bills relating to issues not addressed in the budget. Despite the short amount of time, the Legislature passed an impressive 759 bills by the close of session. As a reminder, all legislation that passed both houses will be delivered to the Governor for action over the coming months. The Governor then has 10 days (excluding Sundays) to either sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or sign the bill subject to agreed-upon amendments.

Members can find a high-level review of priority bill outcomes here. LeadingAge NY is digesting all of this year’s legislative activities and bill movements and will provide a more comprehensive Legislative Bill Summary to members by June 23^rd. The summary will review the most relevant bills passed by both houses and many other priority bills that we advocated for or against during the 2026 legislative session that failed to advance.

As the year’s legislative session comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all our members for your dedicated participation in advocacy this year! Since November, our network of advocates sent thousands of letters to lawmakers, placed hundreds of phone calls to legislative offices, and held hundreds of meetings with legislators and policy makers. Your advocacy has spanned budget, regulatory and legislative issues, both state and federal. We are truly amazed by your engagement in advocacy on top of all you do for the individuals in your care.

We wish our members a fun and restorative summer, and we are hopeful that you will continue to have important conversations with state and federal elected officials.

Officials Turn Attention to 2026 Elections, Posing New Advocacy Opportunities

As we celebrate the end of this year’s legislative session, it is worth noting that the remainder of 2026 will remain politically charged. All New York State Legislators are up for re-election this year, and some incumbents are being challenged for their seats. There are also several Congressional races taking place. Over the coming weeks and months, state legislators will be focusing their attention on the June 23^rd primaries and November general elections.

As a reminder, every two years, all State Senators and Assembly Members must either seek re-election or decide to retire from their seat. Some legislators opt to run for a new position in office, perhaps in congress or another level of government, others may simply seek alternative employment. Meanwhile, many legislators have maintained their seats for several cycles and are likely to win their re-election and return to Albany in 2027. This year, there are approximately 28 open seats in the Assembly, and 7 open seats in the State Senate.

Regardless of the precise dynamics occurring in your legislative districts, an election year offers members the opportunity to engage with sitting representatives and candidates in a unique and highly impactful way – as a voting constituent!

Lawmakers care about what their constituents care about! Please engage in the political process!

LeadingAge NY members are strongly encouraged to engage in the political process over the coming months. See who is running in your State Senate and Assembly districts:

Find your current representatives & district numbers here.
See who is running in your Senate district: Ballotpedia – NY State Senate 2026 Elections
See who is running in your Assembly district: Ballotpedia – NY State Assembly 2026 Elections

Please take some time this summer to connect and maintain relationships with your area’s State Assembly Members and Senators running for re-election and thank them for their support in the Final Budget for Fiscal Year 2027. If you have an “open seat” district – and there is no incumbent running – that means you will have a new representative in Albany next year. Members may learn more about their June 2026 primary election ballot via Vote411.org.

Connect with Elected Officials in the District, Now and All Sumer Long

Election season provides a valuable opportunity for current and prospective lawmakers to witness firsthand the care and services provided by not-for-profit and publicly run long-term care organizations. The experience of a single tour of an LTC residence has the potential to strengthen support for not-for-profit LTC and aging services within the State Legislature more broadly.

Members can connect with legislators and candidates over the summer and fall in a variety of ways, including:

Inviting them to visit your organization for a tour or community-oriented event,
Organizing a meeting with legislators, candidates, residents, staff and family members to discuss the aging-related issues that matter most,
Attending a campaign event of your personal choosing, or
Keeping offices well-informed of your organization’s challenges and successes, via emails, newsletters or phone conversations.

For insights regarding potential ways to engage in advocacy and the political process over the summer, members are encouraged to join our conversations on the Public Affairs Council, which will be meeting again on July 9^th. A recording of our most recent meeting, on June 11^th is available here.

For assistance in discerning who is running for election or re-election in your district, or for insights and support in organizing an advocacy event in your district, please feel free to reach out to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org.

LeadingAge NY Publishes Final Budget Memo

The final budget for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026-27 was passed on May 27^th. The agreement came approximately eight weeks after the statutory due date of April 1st and establishes the funding amounts and allocations for all aspects of State government spending for the period running from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027.

In case you missed it, LeadingAge New York issued a comprehensive final budget memo summarizing the portions of the State budget most relevant to our members on Thurs., June 4^th. Members are encouraged to review the memo for a detailed breakdown of the budget outcomes. In addition, we issued a short summary of high-level takeaways from the Final Budget agreement as we understood them on the day of the budget’s passage.

LeadingAge NY remains committed to advocating for policies that uphold the dignity and well-being of older adults and individuals with disabilities, and we will continue to keep members apprised of any public funding updates and advocacy needed.

We deeply appreciate all the advocacy our members have done this year to fight for the funding that providers need and the people you serve deserve. Your advocacy was robust, creative, and impressive all around. Your time, energy and efforts were critical in securing new investments in our sector. THANK YOU!

Stay Engaged in Federal Advocacy with LeadingAge National

While the tempo of New York State funding and legislative affairs will now decrease, Federal policy work will be ongoing through parts of the summer. Members are encouraged to stay engaged in LeadingAge National’s advocacy and policy efforts via LeadingAge National Policy Pulse calls and by visiting their advocacy action center.

SFY 2026-27 State Budget Advocacy Resources from LeadingAge NY

Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org