Gov. Kathy Hochul signs prison overhaul bill in wake of beating death of inmate

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a prison overhaul bill Friday, significantly increasing the use of cameras in correctional facilities and making other changes in the wake of the beating death of an inmate in central New York.

Hochul also signed legislation requiring new customers to pay for natural gas hookups and phasing out the commercial horseshoe crab harvest in New York.

One of the largest reforms in the prison bill is the requirement of 24-hour cameras in all but a few areas of a facility, including blind spots.

The legislation was prompted by the death of Robert Brooks, who was beaten at the Marcy Correctional Facility 12 months ago. The brutal beating was caught by body camera footage of some of the prison guards involved in the deadly assault.

A number of guards already have been convicted — including one who was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison.

Hochul touted the prison legislation she signed Friday as a transformational change and said the state had already implemented a number of new policies in the wake of Brooks' murder.

"I have been clear that there is more to do and I am grateful to the Legislature and the family of Robert Brooks for advocating for these reforms," Hochul said in a statement Friday.

The legislation requires the state Corrections Commission to study and produce a report on all prison deaths in the last 10 years; require video of footage related to an inmate’s death be provided to the state attorney general within 72 hours; and, among other things, extend the statute of limitations for an inmate to sue for injuries incurred while incarcerated.

The Correctional Association of New York, an independent oversight entity, praised the law as strengthening transparency and oversight of the state prison system.

The bill includes new authority for the association to enter state correctional facilities with 24-hour notice to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It also gives the association regular access to department records for the first time. Inmates can now also send privileged communications to the association, providing confidentiality to those who want to report problems.

But advocates decried what they saw as a watered-down version of the legislation passed earlier this year.

A community leader with VOCAL-NY called the modified bill, "woefully inadequate."

"It’s disheartening that a year after Robert Brooks’s death, this is all the governor can bring herself to do. Much more is needed," said Sid Harrison, a formerly incarcerated Rochester resident.

Jose Saldaña, director of the Release Aging People in Prison campaign, called on the state to pass additional legislation that would ease inmates’ path to parole and sentencing reform.

"While there are provisions in this bill that we supported, and that we hope make a real impact, it is a travesty that the state failed to create fair pathways home or directly change the abusive and deadly conditions inside," Saldaña said.

Environment bill

Hochul also signed a bill Friday afternoon that would end the "100-foot-rule" for new natural gas hookups.

Newsday reported in October that Hochul had agreed to a compromise with the bill’s sponsors that pushed the effective date of the bill back a year.

The new law applies only to residential buildings and does not prohibit new gas hookups. Utilities still have a legal "obligation to service," but an applicant must pay the cost of new natural gas hookups, rather than the rest of the utility’s ratepayers.

Five other states have similar rules for utilities.

Hochul said the move was part of her push to make living in New York more affordable.

"It’s simply unfair, especially when so many people are struggling right now, to expect existing utility ratepayers to foot the bill for a gas hookup at a brand new house that is not their own," she said in a statement.

Democrats in the State Legislature and environmental groups have been pushing for years to eliminate the "100-foot rule," which has been on the books since 1981. The rule requires utilities to pay for first 100 feet of new gas lines, a cost which is then passed on to other existing customers.

Democrats also contend a change would help New York transition away from fossil fuels such as natural gas, which create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

State Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) said Hochul’s decision was a win for the state’s gas customers as well as the environment.

"In recent years the 100-ft rule has forced all ratepayers to subsidize gas hookups for new customers and a tidy profit for utility shareholders, at a cost of $600 million every year, which compounds many times as it is paid off on gas bills for years down the road," Krueger said in a statement.

Horseshoe crabs

New York State will gradually phase out the commercial harvest of horseshoe crabs for bait and biomedical purposes before a full ban takes effect in 2029, as Hochul signed a bill with a compromise amendment.

The move, after Hochul vetoed the bill last year citing state measures to protect the population, gives fishermen who harvest horseshoe crabs for bait the ability to harvest gradually diminishing amounts over the next three years.

Under the plan, horseshoe crabs will be fully banned for bait harvest by 2029, after seeing the harvest reduced to 75% of its annual limit in 2026, no more than 50% in 2027 and no more than 25% in 2028, according to an amendment Hochul was to sign Friday night. 

Artificial intelligence

Hochul also signed new legislation regulating artificial intelligence. The bill, known as the RAISE Act, imposes additional safety requirements on artificial intelligence models.

The intent is to prevent artificial intelligence models from being used to develop weapons of mass destruction and ensure they do not operate without meaningful human intervention.

The legislation requires large AI developers to create and publish information about their safety protocols, and report incidents to the state within 72 hours of determining that an incident occurred. It also creates an oversight office within the state Department of Financial Services that will assess large frontier developers and enable greater transparency. The office will issue reports annually.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order meant to preempt individual state regulations on artificial intelligence. 

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy