Bill Text: NY A05899 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes the peer advocacy and mentoring program; provides peer support, advocacy and mentoring for youth in residential care.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-06-08 - vote reconsidered - restored to third reading [A05899 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A05899-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5899--A
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                      March 6, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. BARRON, ORTIZ, PICHARDO, WALKER, MILLER, COOK,
          GOTTFRIED, DAVILA, JAFFEE -- Multi-Sponsored by --  M.  of  A.  BLAKE,
          MOSLEY,  PERRY  -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children
          and Families -- recommitted to the Committee on Children and  Families
          in  accordance  with  Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee
        AN  ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the peer
          advocacy and mentoring program
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1.  The executive law is amended by adding a new section 522-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  522-a.  Peer  advocacy  and  mentoring  program. 1. There is hereby
     4  created within the office of children and family services, a peer  advo-
     5  cacy and mentoring program.
     6    2.  The  office of children and family services shall, in consultation
     7  with the office of mental health, contract with a mentoring program that
     8  has met the requirements under section three  hundred  ninety-e  of  the
     9  social services law, specializing in providing peer support and advocacy
    10  to  youth and the needs of youth, including but not limited to emotional
    11  and behavioral  needs,  to  establish  a  peer  advocacy  and  mentoring
    12  program. Such program shall be designed to provide peer support, advoca-
    13  cy and mentoring for youth residing in residential care.
    14    3.  Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary,
    15  priority for services under the  peer  advocacy  and  mentoring  program
    16  shall  be given to youth who were placed in residential care pursuant to
    17  section 353.3 of the family court act,  and  who  reside  in  facilities
    18  described in section five hundred four of this article.
    19    4.  Peer advocates acting as employees or volunteers in the peer advo-
    20  cacy and mentoring program shall: (a) be individuals who have:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06460-03-6
        A. 5899--A                          2
     1    (i) experience with issues facing youth at risk of involvement in  the
     2  juvenile justice system; and
     3    (ii)  successfully  completed  any  additional  training that has been
     4  approved by the commissioners of the office of  mental  health  and  the
     5  office  of  children and family services, qualifying such individuals to
     6  work in the peer advocacy and mentoring program;
     7    (b) have reasonable and appropriate access  to  youth  in  residential
     8  facilities  as  determined by the office of children and family services
     9  and the opportunity to  meet  with  youth  in  a  private,  confidential
    10  setting so long as the office of children and family services determines
    11  that such meeting does not pose a safety risk; and
    12    (c)  not identify, in any way, outside of their scope of employment or
    13  duties as a peer advocate, the name or  identity  of  any  youth  served
    14  within the peer advocacy and mentoring program.
    15    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    16  have become a law.