Amd 483-cc, Soc Serv L (as proposed in S.924 & A.3331)
Requires law enforcement agencies or district attorney's offices to inform human trafficking victims of where certain brochures or written materials regarding social or legal services available to such victim are available online.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8738
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2022
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to written material
provided to human trafficking victims regarding available social and
legal services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision (c) of section 483-cc of the social services
2 law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2021 amending the social
3 services law relating to advising human trafficking victims of the
4 availability of social and legal services, as proposed in legislative
5 bills numbers S. 924 and A. 3331, is amended to read as follows:
6 (c) Promptly upon an encounter with a person who reasonably appears to
7 a law enforcement agency or district attorney's office to be a human
8 trafficking victim, or a person who identifies himself or herself as a
9 human trafficking victim, such law enforcement agency or district attor-
10 ney's office shall advise such person of the availability of the
11 services of specific, established providers of social and legal services
12 to human trafficking victims. Each local department of social services
13 shall maintain and shall update, at least once annually, a list of
14 established providers of social and legal services to human trafficking
15 victims within the social services district, which shall be provided, at
16 least once annually, to law enforcement agencies and district attorney's
17 offices within the district. In order to communicate effectively with
18 such person, the law enforcement agency or district attorney's office
19 may provide such individual with a brochure or other written material,
20 including by informing the individual where such written materials are
21 available online, translated into the six most common non-English
22 languages spoken by individuals with limited English proficiency in the
23 state or in the applicable county, city, or town; provided, however,
24 where such person is not proficient in one of such languages, the law
25 enforcement agency or district attorney's office shall make reasonable
26 efforts to communicate effectively with such person, using an interpret-
27 er or interpretation services, where practicable. Unless, after receiv-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01628-02-2
A. 8738 2
1 ing such advice, the apparent victim expresses that he or she does not
2 wish the presence of a representative of such an established provider of
3 social or legal services, the law enforcement agency or district attor-
4 ney's office shall offer to contact the appropriate provider or provid-
5 ers and [request that a representative be provided. If the apparent
6 victim does not wish the presence of such a representative, that
7 expression by the apparent victim shall be documented by the agency or
8 office official in writing or other recorded form] connect such provider
9 or providers with the apparent victim. Nothing in this subdivision shall
10 affect any obligation such law enforcement agency or district attorney's
11 office may have to provide any information or assistance to such person.
12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
13 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2021 amending the social services law
14 relating to advising human trafficking victims of the availability of
15 social and legal services, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.
16 924 and A. 3331, takes effect.
