Hochul signs law requiring NY state to include MENA in data [Video]

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Friday which would require New York State agencies to include data collection categories for Middle Eastern and North African groups.

The new law aims to improve the accuracy of state demographic data, providing insights into the unique challenges facing these communities and guiding future policy solutions.

“We’re so proud that communities from across the globe call New York home,” Hochul said. “Reviewing accurate data is a key starting point when crafting public policy. By ensuring that Middle Eastern and North African communities are accurately represented in State data collection, we’ll be able to identify ways to support this community going forward.”

The legislation would make it mandatory for state agencies, boards, departments, and commissions collecting demographic data on ancestry or ethnic origin to create distinct categories for Middle Eastern and North African groups.

The separate groups would include:

North African groups: Egyptian, Moroccan, Sudanese, Algerian, Tunisian, and Libyan

Middle Eastern groups…