Bill Text: NY A03331 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires law enforcement agencies and district attorney's offices to advise human trafficking victims of the availability of social and legal services; unless law enforcement agencies and district attorney's offices are notified by the victim that they do not want such services, such law enforcement agency shall contact the appropriate provider and request that a representative be provided.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-12-09 - approval memo.58 [A03331 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A03331-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3331

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 22, 2021
                                       ___________

        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 advising human
          trafficking victims of the availability of 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.  Section  483-cc  of the social services law is amended by
     2  adding a new subdivision (c) to read as follows:
     3    (c) Promptly upon an encounter with a person who reasonably appears to
     4  a law enforcement agency or district attorney's office  to  be  a  human
     5  trafficking  victim,  or a person who identifies himself or herself as a
     6  human trafficking victim, such law enforcement agency or district attor-
     7  ney's office shall  advise  such  person  of  the  availability  of  the
     8  services of specific, established providers of social and legal services
     9  to  human trafficking victims.  Each local department of social services
    10  shall maintain and shall update, at  least  once  annually,  a  list  of
    11  established  providers of social and legal services to human trafficking
    12  victims within the social services district, which shall be provided, at
    13  least once annually, to law enforcement agencies and district attorney's
    14  offices within the district.  In order to communicate  effectively  with
    15  such  person,  the  law enforcement agency or district attorney's office
    16  may provide such individual with a brochure or  other  written  material
    17  translated  into  the  six  most  common non-English languages spoken by
    18  individuals with limited English proficiency in  the  state  or  in  the
    19  applicable  county,  city, or town; provided, however, where such person
    20  is not proficient in one of such languages, the law  enforcement  agency
    21  or  district attorney's office shall make reasonable efforts to communi-
    22  cate effectively with such person, using an interpreter  or  interpreta-
    23  tion  services, where practicable.  Unless, after receiving such advice,
    24  the apparent victim expresses that he or she does not wish the  presence
    25  of  a  representative of such an established provider of social or legal

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01628-01-1
        A. 3331                             2

     1  services, the law enforcement agency or district attorney's office shall
     2  contact the appropriate provider and request that  a  representative  be
     3  provided.  If  the  apparent victim does not wish the presence of such a
     4  representative,  that  expression  by the apparent victim shall be docu-
     5  mented by the agency or office official in  writing  or  other  recorded
     6  form.  Nothing  in this subdivision shall affect any obligation such law
     7  enforcement agency or district attorney's office may have to provide any
     8  information or assistance to such person.
     9    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.