Bill Text: NY A09119 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the mandatory reporting of child abuse and maltreatment task force to examine, evaluate, and make recommendations concerning the child welfare system and the mandatory reporting of child abuse and maltreatment; requires the task force to submit a report to the legislature; sets forth the duties of the members of the task force.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-3)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-30 - enacting clause stricken [A09119 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A09119-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9119

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 7, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Children and Families

        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
          mandatory  reporting  of  child abuse and maltreatment task force; and
          providing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration there-
          of

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
     2  371-c to read as follows:
     3    § 371-c. Mandatory reporting of  child  abuse  and  maltreatment  task
     4  force.   1. The mandatory reporting of child abuse and maltreatment task
     5  force is hereby established to examine, evaluate, and  make  recommenda-
     6  tions concerning the child welfare system and the mandatory reporting of
     7  child abuse and maltreatment.
     8    2.  The  task  force  shall  consist of ten members to be appointed as
     9  follows:
    10    (a) three members appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
    11    (b) three members appointed by the speaker of the assembly;
    12    (c) two members appointed by the governor;
    13    (d) one member appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and
    14    (e) one member appointed by the minority leader of the assembly.
    15    3. The members of the task force shall  each  have  expertise  in  the
    16  prevention  and  treatment  of child abuse and maltreatment and may have
    17  expertise in the following: lived  experience  with  the  child  welfare
    18  system;  providing  community-based  supports  for  families  with child
    19  welfare system involvement; legal expertise in the child welfare system;
    20  parent advocates; social work or case management; or relevant health  or
    21  mental health expertise.
    22    4.  Vacancies in the task force shall be filled in the manner provided
    23  for original appointments. All  appointments  shall  be  coordinated  to
    24  ensure  geographic  representation  from the entire state. A majority of
    25  the members of the task force then in office shall constitute  a  quorum
    26  for the transaction of business or the exercise of any power or function

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14226-01-4
        A. 9119                             2

     1  of  the  task  force.  The  task  force  shall convene no later than one
     2  hundred twenty days following the effective date of this section and may
     3  meet as frequently as its business may require, which may include  meet-
     4  ings  via  teleconference. Special meetings may be called at the request
     5  of a majority of the members of the task force.
     6    5. The members of the task force shall  receive  no  compensation  for
     7  their  services but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
     8  incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this act.
     9    6. The task force shall perform the following duties:
    10    (a) evaluate the list of professionals required  to  report  suspected
    11  cases  of  child abuse and maltreatment under section four hundred thir-
    12  teen of this chapter;
    13    (b) assess the statutory obligations  for  professionals  required  to
    14  report  suspected  cases  of  child abuse and maltreatment under section
    15  four hundred thirteen of this chapter, including penalties  for  failure
    16  to report, and its potential impact on health and human services provid-
    17  ers' ability to carry out their professional duties;
    18    (c)  provide  recommendations on best practices to support families to
    19  prevent child welfare system involvement;
    20    (d) determine best practices  for  mitigating  any  adverse  childhood
    21  experiences  incurred  as  a result of child welfare system involvement;
    22  and
    23    (e) provide any other recommendations the task force  deems  necessary
    24  to  improve the child welfare system to support children and families in
    25  the state.
    26    7. The task force shall submit a report of its findings and  recommen-
    27  dations  to  the governor, temporary president of the senate, speaker of
    28  the assembly, minority leader of the  senate,  minority  leader  of  the
    29  assembly,  chair of the senate children and families committee and chair
    30  of the assembly children and families committee, no later than  December
    31  thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five.
    32    §  2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire December
    33  31, 2026, when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed
    34  repealed.