Bill Text: NY A03331 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
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
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. LBD01628-01-1A. 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.