As the legislative session in Albany concludes, the Government Law Center at Albany Law School has released explainers about two hot-button issues debated by state policymakers: 

• “No Cell from Bell to Bell”: Smartphone Restrictions in New York Schools, by GLC Legal Director Richard Rifkin, explains the provisions in a new law requiring schools across the state to adopt and enact “bell to bell” smartphone restrictions.
• Voting While Incarcerated in Local Jails in New York, also by Rifkin, highlights pervasive barriers to voting access for individuals incarcerated in county jails but who are eligible to vote and potential statutory reforms to address such barriers.

“Our goal is to provide objective education and background on the laws and policies at the core of debates among state officials and lawmakers, and to promote an understanding of the practical effects of their decisions on New Yorkers — especially the marginalized and disenfranchised,” says Patrick Wildes ’16, Director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.

The Government Law Center provides nonpartisan legal research and analysis on pressing issues facing state and local government and informs the public about major legal and policy issues facing policymakers and elected officials. The Government Law Center’s role is to explain, not to advocate for a particular position or course of action. The GLC’s explainers concisely map out the law that applies to important questions of public policy. In addition, programs in the GLC’s Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series, held monthly from February through May, feature experts who discuss major issues pending before the New York State Legislature.