NY A00518

Requires all New York state agencies, boards, departments, and commissions that collect demographic data on ancestry or ethnic origin to use separate collection categories for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) groups

Mandates North African categories include Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian, Sudanese, Tunisian, and Libyan; Middle Eastern categories must include Yemeni, Iranian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Israeli, Jordanian, Syrian, Armenian, and Saudi

Extends the deadline for publishing collected MENA demographic data from December 1, 2025 to January 1, 2027, with data to be posted on agency websites annually thereafter

Changes the effective date of the underlying 2024 law from 120 days after enactment to July 1, 2026

Requires agencies unable to comply with deadlines to publicly post progress reports at least 60 days before the deadline, detailing steps taken, impediments to compliance, and estimated timeframe for meeting requirements, with updates every six months