Requires the division of criminal justice services to check the wanted felon status and probation or parole violator status of people applying for public assistance.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5663
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 19, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BARCLAY, HAWLEY, PALMESANO, MANKTELOW, MORINELLO,
MILLER, GALLAHAN, SIMPSON, LEMONDES, BLANKENBUSH, TAGUE, BRABENEC --
Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. K. BROWN, DeSTEFANO, FRIEND, McDONOUGH
-- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law and the social services law, in
relation to requiring the division of criminal justice services to
check the wanted felon status and other information of people applying
for public assistance
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 845-f
2 to read as follows:
3 § 845-f. Requests for wanted felon information. 1. Definitions. As
4 used in this section:
5 (a) "Authorized person" means a commissioner of social services, as
6 defined in subdivision ten of section two of the social services law, or
7 any one or more individuals designated by such commissioner as author-
8 ized to request, receive and review information regarding the wanted
9 felon portion of the national crime information center and/or, if appli-
10 cable, information regarding an individual's violation of their
11 probation or parole conditions pursuant to this section. A commissioner
12 of social services may designate one or more additional persons as
13 necessary to serve as authorized persons pursuant to this section.
14 (b) "Subject individual" means a person who is applying for public
15 assistance whose wanted felon status or probation or parole violator
16 status has been requested pursuant to section one hundred thirty-two of
17 the social services law.
18 (c) "Wanted felon" means a person who is fleeing or has fled to avoid
19 prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, under the laws
20 of the place from which the person flees, for a crime, or an attempt to
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03924-01-5
A. 5663 2
1 commit a crime, which is a felony under the laws of the place from which
2 the person flees.
3 (d) "Probation or parole violator" means a person who is violating a
4 condition of probation or parole and that person is currently an abscon-
5 der from probation or parole supervision and a warrant alleging such a
6 violation is outstanding, or the person has been found by judicial
7 determination to have violated probation or by administrative adjudi-
8 cation by the division of parole to have violated parole, or the person
9 is violating a condition of probation or parole imposed under federal
10 law.
11 2. Where an authorized person requests information regarding the want-
12 ed felon status or the probation or parole violator status, of a subject
13 individual applying for public assistance required pursuant to section
14 one hundred thirty-two of the social services law, such person shall
15 proceed pursuant to the provisions of this section.
16 3. An authorized person requesting the wanted felon status or
17 probation or parole violator status, pursuant to this section shall do
18 so by completing a form established for such purpose by the division.
19 Such form shall include a sworn statement of the authorized person
20 certifying that:
21 (a) the person for whose information is requested is a subject indi-
22 vidual for whom information is available by law;
23 (b) the results of the request will be used by the authorized person
24 solely for purposes authorized by law; and
25 (c) the authorized person and their agents and employees are aware of
26 and will abide by the confidentiality requirements and all other
27 provisions of this article.
28 § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 132 of the social services law, as
29 amended by section 22 of part B of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997, is
30 amended to read as follows:
31 1. (a) When an application for assistance or care is received, or a
32 social services official is informed that a person is in need of public
33 assistance and care, an investigation and record shall be made of the
34 circumstances of such person. The object of such investigations shall be
35 to secure the facts necessary to determine whether such person is in
36 need of public assistance or care and what form thereof and service [he
37 or she] they should receive and to determine whether such person is a
38 wanted felon as defined in subdivision one of section eight hundred
39 forty-five-e of the executive law or a probation or parole violator as
40 defined in subdivision one of section eight hundred forty-five-e of the
41 executive law and if such warrant or violation exists, whether such
42 person was aware or should have been aware of such warrant or violation.
43 Information shall be sought as to the residence of such person, the
44 name, age, religious faith, physical condition, earnings or other
45 income, and ability to work of all members of the family, the cause of
46 the person's condition, the ability and willingness of the family, rela-
47 tives, friends and church to assist, and such other facts as may be
48 useful in determining the treatment which will be helpful to such
49 person. However, nothing in this subdivision or elsewhere in this chap-
50 ter contained shall be construed to require a social services official
51 to communicate with or require assistance from any person or persons
52 liable by law to contribute to the support of a [woman] person pregnant
53 with, or the [mother] birth parent of, an out of wedlock child, in need
54 of care away from home during pregnancy and during and after delivery,
55 in the case where the surrender of the child to the social services
56 official is under consideration, for such period as may be necessary for
A. 5663 3
1 such [mother] birthing parent and official to decide whether the child
2 will be surrendered for adoption to such official, which period shall
3 not extend beyond ninety days after birth of the child. Except where the
4 welfare official is in possession of positive proof that the applicant
5 is receiving or is eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits
6 and the amount thereof such investigations shall include written request
7 to the commissioner of labor or [his or her] such commissioner's duly
8 authorized officer charged with administration of the unemployment
9 insurance law for information as to the status of such person in respect
10 to unemployment insurance benefits.
11 (b) The commissioner of a social services district or any authorized
12 person, as defined in section eight hundred forty-five-e of the execu-
13 tive law, shall request information for each applicant from the division
14 of criminal justice services, to determine whether such applicant is a
15 wanted felon as defined in subdivision one of section eight hundred
16 forty-five-e of the executive law or probation or parole violator as
17 defined in subdivision one of section eight hundred forty-five-e of the
18 executive law.
19 (c) Upon being informed by the division of criminal justice services
20 that an applicant is a wanted felon or a probation or parole violator,
21 pursuant to subdivision one of section eight hundred forty-five-e of the
22 executive law, the commissioner shall investigate to determine whether
23 the applicant is aware of their status and to determine when the appli-
24 cant became, or should have become aware of their status.
25 (d) Where an applicant has not initially been determined to be ineli-
26 gible for public assistance benefits because of a reliance on a false
27 statement provided in the application, however is subsequently deter-
28 mined to be ineligible for such assistance, the commissioner, on behalf
29 of the state and the local social services district shall have the
30 authority to recoup from the individual the sums expended for such
31 assistance during the period of time that such person received benefits
32 and knew or should have known that their statement claiming that they
33 are neither a wanted felon or probation or parole violator status was
34 false.
35 (e) An individual who is identified, and knows so or is notified ther-
36 eof, as being a probation or parole violator, as defined in subdivision
37 one of section eight hundred forty-five-e of the executive law, is not
38 eligible for public assistance until they verify they have been restored
39 to probation or parole supervision, released from custody, or until the
40 person's maximum period of imprisonment or supervision has expired.
41 § 3. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 145-b of the social
42 services law, as added by chapter 2 of the laws of 1998, is amended to
43 read as follows:
44 (b) For purposes of this section, "statement or representation"
45 includes, but is not limited to:
46 (i) a claim for payment made to the state, a political subdivision of
47 the state, or an entity performing services under contract to the state
48 or a political subdivision of the state;
49 (ii) an acknowledgment, certification, claim, ratification or report
50 of data which serves as the basis for a claim or a rate of payment,
51 financial information whether in a cost report or otherwise, health care
52 services available or rendered, and the qualifications of a person that
53 is or has rendered health care services;
54 (iii) an intentional incorrect answer, made by the applicant, to a
55 question on an application for public assistance regarding the wanted
56 felon as defined in section eight hundred forty-five-e of the executive
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1 law status or probation or parole violator as defined in section eight
2 hundred forty-five-e of the executive law status of an applicant or a
3 member of their family.
4 § 4. The state commissioner of social services, in consultation with
5 the commissioner of the division of criminal justice services, is hereby
6 authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the imple-
7 mentation of this act.
8 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
9 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
10 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
11 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
12 before such effective date.
