Relates to establishing an electronic monitoring program for certain children and adults; establishes a program where local law enforcement agencies shall provide electronic monitoring devices to parents or guardians to be worn by children or adults with autism spectrum disorder, developmental disability, Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, or any other cognitive disorder; provides such devices shall be used by law enforcement agencies to locate missing children or adults.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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1129
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing an elec-
tronic monitoring program for certain children and adults
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 837-y
2 to read as follows:
3 § 837-y. Electronic monitoring program for certain children and
4 adults. 1. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall
5 have the following meanings:
6 (a) "child" shall mean a person under the age of eighteen years;
7 (b) "eligible applicant" shall mean the parent or legal guardian of a
8 child or adult who has been diagnosed by a physician as having an autism
9 spectrum disorder, developmental disability, Alzheimer's disease or
10 other dementia, or any other cognitive disorder;
11 (c) "participating child or adult" shall mean the child or adult diag-
12 nosed with autism spectrum disorder, developmental disability,
13 Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, or other cognitive disorder who
14 is enrolled in the electronic monitoring program and wears an electronic
15 monitoring device; and
16 (d) "electronic monitoring device" shall mean any radio, global posi-
17 tioning system, cellular device or any other satellite-based monitoring
18 device that can provide continuous tracking of the geographic location
19 of a participating child or adult.
20 2. (a) The division, in consultation with the office for people with
21 developmental disabilities and the office for the aging, shall establish
22 a program for local law enforcement agencies to provide electronic moni-
23 toring devices to an eligible applicant to be worn by such applicant's
24 participating child or adult for the purpose of geographically locating
25 such child or adult upon circumstances where the child or adult is
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01469-01-5
A. 1129 2
1 unable to be accounted for. The program shall facilitate the safe recov-
2 ery of participating children or adults who are missing or abducted.
3 (b) The division shall train local law enforcement agencies on the use
4 of electronic monitoring devices.
5 3. The program shall be voluntary and the following procedure shall be
6 used for the administration of the program:
7 (a) an eligible applicant may file an application with such appli-
8 cant's local law enforcement agency to be granted access to the program;
9 (b) upon approval of the application, an eligible applicant shall be
10 issued an electronic monitoring device that may be worn by such appli-
11 cant's participating child or adult;
12 (c) if a participating child or adult is missing a caregiver, parent,
13 or legal guardian shall alert the local law enforcement agency and such
14 law enforcement agency shall attempt to locate the participating child
15 or adult using the electronic monitoring device; and
16 (d) all applicant information provided by the eligible applicant to
17 the local law enforcement agency shall remain confidential and not be
18 divulged by the law enforcement agency except in cases where the eligi-
19 ble applicant signs a separate consent form providing that any
20 personally identifiable information on the participating child or adult
21 may only be released in the event that law enforcement action is sought
22 to locate a missing participating child or adult.
23 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
24 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
25 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
26 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
27 on or before such effective date.
