New York State Capitol in Albany. Photo: Monika Kozak/ALM

New York state politicians tackled a broad variety of issues during a legislative session this week, where they green-lighted automatic voter registration and tweaked a legal immunity law for hospitals and nursing homes.

Both chambers have given the OK to voter protection bills too, which aim to address concerns that came up during the state's primaries last month. 

Despite the wide range of legislation approved this month, lawmakers took a pass on going after certain hot-button items like marijuana legalization and solitary confinement reform. 

The flurry of legislative activity also stood in contrast to floor sessions last month, in which politicians focused their agenda on the single issue of police reform. 

Here were some of the bills considered by lawmakers this week:

Contact Tracing Confidentiality

Coronavirus contact tracing information would be confidential under a bill that cleared the Legislature.

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who sponsored the legislation, says he's proud to protect private information collected for coronavirus contact tracing, "so it cannot be misused by law and immigration enforcement."

"This will strengthen the public's trust on one of our most effective tools in combating this pandemic," he said.

COVID-19 Employment Agreements

State lawmakers took a pass this week on approving a bill that goes after employment liability waivers. 

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. John Liu would void employment agreements that exempt employers from liability over negligence tied to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Specifically, the measures would void any employment agreements that exempt an employer from liability for personal injury damages due to the employer's negligence over the "handling of measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic." 

The legislation did not pass either chamber.

Absentee Voting

State lawmakers moved bills to make the process of absentee voting more effective. 

One piece of legislation gives voters a notice of deficiencies with their absentee ballot envelope. Another bill allows boards of elections to start accepting absentee ballot applications earlier in the political calendar. 

"Following the first primary election during COVID and the expanded use of absentee voting, these bills will begin the work of adjusting our elections to the new reality and ensuring the right to vote remains protected now and in future elections," said state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat from New York City. 

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said common-sense ways to help voters include making the registration process easier and making the early voting process run smoother. 

An automatic voter registration bill also cleared the state Legislature this week. The measure would register people to vote when they have contact with various government agencies. 

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