Overview
- The State Legislature passed S.9316 this week to replace words like “mother,” “father” and “paternity” in family, civil and education laws with terms such as “gestating parent,” “non‑gestating parent” and “parentage.”
- The measure is on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk and she has until the end of the year to sign or veto the bill; she has said she has not yet reviewed it.
- Hempstead Town leaders adopted an emergency resolution this week to keep the words “mother” and “father” in local code, saying the change is symbolic protection of traditional terms for the township’s documents.
- Supporters including the bill’s sponsors say the edits are technical updates to reflect surrogacy, same‑sex and non‑biological parentage, while conservative officials and groups say the wording reduces parents to reproductive roles.
- Legal observers and prior precedent show similar changes in other states can be implemented without overturning core parental rights, but the debate could produce local policy clashes and public pressure on the governor before she acts.