New York State Assembly

 
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A00065 Summary:

A00065 Actions:

A00065 Committee Votes:

Committee:CHILDREN AND FAMILIES   Chair:Hevesi      
DATE:05/20/2025AYE/NAY:16/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
Hevesi
Aye
Maher
Aye
Davila
Aye
Pirozzolo
Aye
Anderson
Aye
Jensen
Aye
Clark
Aye
Bologna
Aye
Lunsford
Aye
Molitor
Aye
Meeks
Aye
Gonzalez-Rojas
Aye
Mitaynes
Aye
Chandler-Waterm
Aye
Lee
Aye
Lasher
Excused
Wieder
Aye

Committee:RULES   Chair:Glick      
DATE:06/10/2025AYE/NAY:28/0  Action: Favorable         
Heastie
Excused
Barclay
Aye
Pretlow
Aye
Hawley
Aye
Cook
Aye
Blankenbush
Aye
Glick
Aye
Ra
Aye
Dinowitz
Aye
Brabenec
Aye
Colton
Aye
Palmesano
Aye
Magnarelli
Excused
Reilly
Aye
Paulin
Aye
Smith
Aye
Peoples-Stokes
Aye
Jensen
Aye
Benedetto
Excused
Lavine
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Davila
Aye
Hyndman
Aye
Rozic
Aye
Bronson
Aye
Hevesi
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Taylor
Aye
Cruz
Aye
Vanel
Aye

A00065 Floor Votes:

A00065 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          65--B
                                                                  Cal. No. 2
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                       (Prefiled)
 
                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. HEVESI, LAVINE, DINOWITZ, SEAWRIGHT, PIROZZOLO,
          PEOPLES-STOKES, OTIS, SIMON, SAYEGH, SHRESTHA,  KAY,  ROMERO,  KASSAY,
          McMAHON,  CRUZ  -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children
          and Families -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted
          as  amended  and  recommitted  to said committee -- ordered to a third
          reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining  its  place  on  the
          order of third reading
 
        AN  ACT  to amend the social services law, in relation to the establish-
          ment of a statewide supervised visitation initiative to  support  safe
          and structured parenting time
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new  section
     2  398-g to read as follows:
     3    §  398-g. Supervised visitation to support safe and structured parent-
     4  ing time.  1. The legislature finds  and  declares  that  professionally
     5  supervised  visitation  programs  are  often  necessary in order to keep
     6  families safe, to foster healthy family relationships and to further the
     7  best interests of children in  family  offense,  child  protective,  and
     8  custody  and visitation proceedings in supreme and family courts. Recog-
     9  nizing that a large number of counties  have  no  supervised  visitation
    10  programs  at  all  and,  of  those that have such programs, the need far
    11  exceeds the availability of the programs,  it  is  the  intent  of  this
    12  section  to  provide state support for the establishment of at least one
    13  program in every county that does not have one and, for  those  counties
    14  and  cities  that have programs, to expand their reach to meet the need.
    15  Such programs may be  essential  in  cases  involving  family  violence,
    16  mental  health, or other cases in which supervision is vital to meet the
    17  needs of the parent and/or child.
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00032-04-6
        A. 65--B                            2
 
     1    2. Within grant funds appropriated by the state for this purpose,  the
     2  office  of  victim  services,  in  consultation  with the office for the
     3  prevention of domestic violence, shall establish a statewide  supervised
     4  visitation  initiative  to  support  safe and structured parenting time,
     5  that  shall  include culturally sensitive services that provide language
     6  access for those who need it and that  are  affordable  for  those  with
     7  limited  means  to pay. The office of victim services shall require each
     8  county and New York City to submit annual assessments of the local needs
     9  for supervised visitation services, as well as  plans  for  meeting  the
    10  assessed needs and for collecting data regarding usage and effectiveness
    11  of  the  programs.  The  submissions  shall  specify  the services to be
    12  provided, the estimated number of children and families to be served  by
    13  the programs, the estimated number of fee waivers and the estimated cost
    14  of  the  programs.  The  submissions  may include plans to contract with
    15  private non-profit organizations for services  and  may  include  multi-
    16  county  programs if geographically accessible for families utilizing the
    17  programs. The plan for such programs shall be included in the  district-
    18  wide child welfare services plan pursuant to section four hundred nine-d
    19  of this article.
    20    3.  Such  programs  shall be made available to comply with supreme and
    21  family court temporary and final orders requiring such supervision as  a
    22  condition  of access to children and shall include provisions for waiver
    23  of fees for users of such programs  who  cannot  afford  to  pay.  Where
    24  directed  by  the court, the programs shall provide reports to the court
    25  at the end of the visitation period and as the court otherwise directs.
    26    4. The office of victim services shall promulgate  regulations  neces-
    27  sary to implement this section and shall submit a report to the legisla-
    28  ture  and governor one year after the effective date of this section and
    29  annually  thereafter.  The  report  shall  provide  data  regarding  the
    30  programs  in each county, shall evaluate the effectiveness of the state-
    31  wide initiative in meeting local needs and shall include recommendations
    32  for enhancing the initiative.
    33    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    34  it shall have become a law.