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S 7743 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Clarifies that the writing requirement that is part of compulsory education includes cursive writing

Senate Bill S 7743 mandates that public schools include instruction in cursive writing as part of their standard curriculum. The bill requires that by the end of fifth grade, students are able to create readable documents using legible cursive handwriting. This legislation directly affects public school students and educators by integrating cursive instruction into the basic education program.
Issues: ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandating cursive instruction in K-12 curriculum strengthens foundational literacy standards and expands required educational content.95% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced May 2, 2025 Last action Mar 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S7743 → S7743A · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to clarify that cursive writing is part of the compulsory education writing requirement, rather than creating a new standalone mandate. The original version required cursive instruction specifically by fifth grade, while the amended version integrates cursive writing into the broader list of twelve required school branches for the first eight years of public education.
Scope change
The bill's scope was refined to align cursive writing with existing compulsory education requirements rather than establishing a separate fifth-grade deadline.
REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement from a new section mandating cursive instruction by fifth grade to amending an existing section that lists cursive writing as one of twelve required school branches for the first eight years of public education.

PROCEDURAL

Added committee recommitment language indicating the bill was amended and sent back to the Education Committee for further review.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill number from S 7743 to S 7743-A to reflect the amendment status.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
2
Mar 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 7743A
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO EDUCATION
upper
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO EDUCATION
upper
May 2, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO EDUCATION
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
DDemocratic
NY
23