A chapter amendment and a veto operate at different moments and serve different institutional purposes.
A veto occurs before a bill becomes law. The Governor’s choice is binary: approve the bill as written or reject it in its entirety. There is no power to edit, revise, or condition approval on changes.
A chapter amendment occurs after a bill has become law. It is a new statute that modifies an existing chapter of the Laws of New York.
This distinction explains why New York often relies on chapter amendments even when substantive changes are anticipated.
A veto kills the entire bill, including provisions that may be widely supported or long negotiated. It also risks a legislative override or a re-passage of the same text, eliminating the Governor’s leverage to shape refinements.
By contrast, signing a bill and addressing problems through a chapter amendment allows the policy decision to stand while improving implementation. The Legislature can target specific provisions without reopening every settled issue, and agencies and courts can begin working within a known statutory framework.
In short:
- A veto says, “This should not be law.”
- A chapter amendment says, “This should be law—but better.”
When the disagreement is about execution rather than direction, chapter amendments are the more precise and institutionally stable tool.
Hani Sarji
New York lawyer who cares about people, is fascinated by technology, and is writing his next book, Estate of Confusion: New York.
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