Law
Legislative Summaries by Year
2015 New York State Domestic Violence and Related Laws Signed by the Governor:
Service Animals in Shelter – A.6626 Rosenthal / S.5372 Carlucci
Establishes the right of a domestic violence victim entering a residential domestic violence program to be accompanied by a service animal or therapy dog, as defined in NYS Agriculture and Markets Law. This bill was signed into law, based on an agreement between the Governor and Legislature, to amend the law to allow for reasonable accommodations addressing the health and safety needs of adults and children already residing in shelter, such as individuals who may have allergies or a fear of animals. (see “Legislative Summaries by Year 2016” for the amendment)
Signed: December 28, 2015 Chapter 584
Effective: December 28, 2015
Amends: Social Services Law §459-b
Temporary Orders of Protection – A.6262 Joyner/S.6 Young
Establishes a pilot program in several Family Courts to allow the electronic filing of petitions and issuing of temporary orders of protection by audio-visual means. This will provide emergency relief for victims who find traveling to, or appearing in, the courthouse, an undue hardship or a risk to their safety.
Signed: October 21, 2015 Chapter 367
Effective: April 1, 2016
Amends: Family Court Act §153-c; Judiciary Law §212(2) new paragraph (t); Executive Law §648
Translation of DIR Statements and Victim Rights Notice – A.4347 Davila/S.4288 Hoylman
Requires police to have a victim’s statement on a domestic incident report translated when the statement is not in English. The victim rights notice, which must be given to all victims when a domestic incident report is completed, must be translated by the state and made available to law enforcement agencies. Victim statements and the notice must be translated into those languages most frequently spoken in New York State.
Signed: November 20, 2015 Chapter 432
Effective: February 18, 2016
Amends: Executive Law §§214(b), 837(15), 840(3)(f); Criminal Procedure Law §140.10(5)
Campus Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence - A.8244 Glick/S.5965 Lavalle
Requires all colleges to adopt a set of comprehensive procedures and guidelines to combat sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking on college and university campuses statewide. In addition to required prevention and response policies and procedures, the “Enough is Enough” law includes a uniform definition of affirmative consent for sexual activity, a statewide reporting amnesty policy, confidentiality provisions and expanded access to law enforcement, to help ensure the safety of all students attending colleges in New York State.
Signed: July 7, 2015 Chapter 76
Effective: October 5, 2015; provisions requiring campus climate assessments and annual reporting of aggregate data to the State Department of Education take effect on July 7, 2016
Amends: Education Law by creating a new Article 129-B (§§6439 – 6449); Civil Practice Laws & Rules R3016; Executive Law by adding a new §232
Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act – A.506 Paulin/S.7 Lanza
Improves the State's response to human trafficking. Increases the accountability of buyers and traffickers by adding new offenses to address patronizing a minor for prostitution and increasing penalties for sex trafficking. Eliminates the term “prostitute” in the Penal Law and replaces it with “patronizing a person for prostitution.” Requires the development of policies and materials for new and veteran police officers to use in assisting trafficking victims.
Signed: October 21, 2015 Chapter 368
Effective: January 19, 2016
Amends: multiple sections of Penal Law §§60.13, 70.02(1)(a) & (c), 70.80(1)(a), 135.35, add 135.37, 460.10(1)(a), 700.05(8)(b) & (h), add 230.01, 230.02(1), 230.03(2), 230.04 - 230.10, add 230.11 – 230.13, 230.15(1) & (2), 230.19(1), 230.25(1), 230.30. 230.32, 230.33, 230.35, 230.40, 240.37(2), 380.50(6), 440.10(1)(i), 483-bb add (c), Criminal Procedure Law §§380.50, 440.10, 700.05; Social Services Law §§483-bb & 483-cc; Civil PLR §212; Mental Hygiene Law §10.03; Correction Law §§168-a & 168-d; Vehicle & Traffic Law §509-cc, add §510-d; Public Health Law §2324-a; Real Property Actions & Proceedings Law §715; Real Property Law §231; Executive Law §840, add §214-d; §14 of Chapter 74 of 2007
Housing Discrimination - A.6354-B Peoples-Stokes/S.5 Robach
Prohibits discrimination in housing based on domestic violence status. Includes renting, terms or conditions of rental and eviction.
Establishes a task force to study the impact of source of income and gender on access to housing. The task force will also review the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan, including voucher portability and its impact on domestic violence victims, and make recommendations for improvement.
Signed: October 21, 2015 Chapter 366
Effective: January 9, 2016
Amends: Real Property Law to add §227-d and Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law to add §744
Orders of Protection in Sexual Assault/Probation Sentences- A.1797-A Paulin/ S.4340-B Serino
Establishes the maximum length of an order of protection in sexual assault cases where the sentence is, or includes, probation. The maximum length of an order issued in criminal felony sexual assault convictions, including cases where the defendant and victim are family/household members, is fixed at ten years. In misdemeanor sexual assault convictions the maximum length of an order of protection will be fixed at six years. This corrects an inconsistency created when the law was changed in 2006 to extend the permissible duration of orders of protection in all crimes. Prior to 2006, the law already required longer probation sentences for sexual assault convictions. Without the correction, orders of protection could have expired before a defendant had completed a probation sentence.
Signed: September 22, 2015 Chapter 240
Effective: October 22, 2015
Amends: Criminal Procedure Law §§530.12(5); 530.13(4)
Legal Name Change Protection - A.2242 Bronson/S.5240 Savino
Provides greater protection for domestic violence victims seeking a legal name change. Previously, the law allowed a waiver of the requirement to publish a name change in a designated newspaper, if the court found that publishing would jeopardize the person’s safety. This law expands the protection to clarify that the totality of the person’s circumstances must be taken into consideration when determining the threat to safety and that specific instances or a history of threats to personal safety are not required.
Signed: September 22, 2015 Chapter 241
Effective: September 22, 2015
Amends: Civil Rights Law §64-a
Crime Victim Awards/Financial Difficulty Requirement – A.6943 Peoples-Stokes/S.4913 Gallivan
Eliminates the requirement to prove financial difficulty in order to receive crime victim compensation, unless the award is for $10,000 or more. The requirement had been in effect for awards of $5,000 or more.
Signed: September 25, 2015 Chapter 263
Effective: September 25, 2015
Amends: Executive Law §631(6)(a)
Crime Victim Awards/Grandchildren – A.8235 Peoples-Stokes/S.5956 Gallivan
Adds grandchildren to the list of relatives of a homicide victim who are eligible for crime victim compensation for counseling services.
Signed: August 13, 2015 Chapter 104
Effective: August 13, 2015
Amends: Executive Law §624(1)(b)
Resources for Victims of Sexual Assault and Child Pornography - A.86 Paulin/S.3486 Lanza
Allows the Department of Health to promote the availability of no-cost counseling programs, education programs and advocacy services for victims of sexual offenses and child pornography promotion/possession, provided at government and not-for-profit programs.
Signed: November 20, 2015 Chapter 363
Effective: January 19, 2016
Amends: Executive Law §292(5)
Defendant Name Change/Victim Request – A.5007-A Perry/S.1744-A Carlucci
Requires the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Office of Victim Services to develop and distribute a uniform form that prosecutors can give to crime victims who wish to be notified of any name change petition filed by the defendant in their case.
Signed: October 26, 2015 Chapter 394
Effective: November 25, 2015
Amends: Executive Law §631(6)(a)
Workplace Sexual Harassment Protections - A.5360 Galef/S.2 Valesky
Expands protections against sexual harassment by an employer to include all employers in New York State. Previously, the law covered employers with four or more employees.
Signed: October 21, 2015 Chapter 418
Effective: November 20, 2015
Amends: Public Health Law §207(1) new paragraph
Fee Waivers for Certain Crimes – A.2469-A.Paulin/S.4394-A Lanza
Waives the DNA databank fee, the mandatory surcharge and the crime victim assistance fee for convictions, where the arresting charge is prostitution or loitering for prostitution, or when the court finds the defendant is a victim of sex trafficking.
Signed: November 20, 2015 Chapter 246
Effective: November 20, 2015
Amends: Criminal Procedure Law §420.35(2)
Maintenance and Spousal Support - A.7645 Weinstein/S.5678 Bonacic
Establishes new formulas for the court to use to calculate the duration and amount of maintenance and spousal support. The law also establishes what factors can used to appropriately deviate from the formulas.
Signed: September 25, 2015 Chapter 269
Effective: January 23, 2016 for October 25, 2015 for temporary maintenance awards in matrimonial actions
Amends: Domestic Relations Law §§236 & 248; Family Court Act §412
Mandatory Arrest Extension
Extends the mandatory arrest provision for family offenses for two more years, until September 1, 2017.
Signed: Chapter 55 – Budget Bill: §17 of Part B
Effective: April 13, 2015
Amends: Criminal Procedure Law §140.10(4)
Increased Maximum Length of Criminal Orders of Protection – Extension
Extends for two more years, until September 1, 2017, the increased maximum length of criminal court orders of protection. Maximum lengths: eight years for a felony conviction, five years for a misdemeanor conviction and two years for all other offenses/violations.
Signed: 2015 Chapter 55 – Budget Bill: §19 of Part B
Effective: April 13, 2015
Amends: Criminal Procedure Law §§530.12(5); 530.13(4)