Bill Text: NY S00530 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes the crimes of exploitation of an elderly person, vulnerable elderly person or incompetent or physically disabled person in the first, second, and third degree.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - REFERRED TO CODES [S00530 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-S00530-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 530 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E (PREFILED) January 7, 2015 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GALLIVAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law and the social services law, in relation to preventing financial exploitation of the elderly THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. The opening paragraph and subdivision 1 of section 260.31 2 of the penal law, the opening paragraph as added by chapter 381 of the 3 laws of 1998, subdivision 1 as amended and such section as renumbered by 4 chapter 14 of the laws of 2010, are amended to read as follows: 5 For the purpose of sections 155.05, 260.32 and 260.34 of this article, 6 the following definitions shall apply: 7 1. "Caregiver" means a person who (i) assumes responsibility for the 8 care of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically 9 disabled person pursuant to a court order; or (ii) VOLUNTARILY ASSUMES 10 RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CARE OF A VULNERABLE ELDERLY PERSON OR AN INCOM- 11 PETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON; OR (III) receives monetary or 12 other valuable consideration for providing care for a vulnerable elderly 13 person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person. 14 S 2. Subdivision 2 of section 155.05 of the penal law is amended by 15 adding a new paragraph (f) to read as follows: 16 (F) BY FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY OR INCOMPETENT 17 OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON. 18 (I) A PERSON OBTAINS PROPERTY BY FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF A VULNER- 19 ABLE ELDERLY, OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON WHEN, WHILE 20 IN A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP OR CAREGIVER STATUS WITH A VULNERABLE ELDERLY 21 PERSON OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON, HE OR SHE KNOWINGLY 22 OBTAINS OR USES OR ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN OR USE A VULNERABLE ELDERLY 23 PERSON'S OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON'S PROPERTY WITH 24 THE INTENT TO TEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03979-01-5 S. 530 2 1 PERSON OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON OF THE USE, BENEFIT 2 OR POSSESSION OF THE PROPERTY, OR TO BENEFIT HIMSELF OR HERSELF OR A 3 THIRD PERSON. 4 (II) A PERSON OBTAINS PROPERTY BY FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF A VULNER- 5 ABLE ELDERLY, OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON WHEN, WHILE 6 IN A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP OR CAREGIVER STATUS WITH A VULNERABLE ELDERLY 7 PERSON OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON, HE OR SHE KNOWINGLY 8 OBTAINS OR USES OR ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN OR USE CASH, SECURITIES OR OTHER 9 PROPERTY FROM A DEPOSIT ACCOUNT AS DESCRIBED IN SECTION SIX HUNDRED 10 SEVENTY-EIGHT OF THE BANKING LAW FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE BESIDES FOR THE 11 BENEFIT OF THE ORIGINAL DEPOSITOR WHERE THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY PERSON OR 12 INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON IS THE ORIGINAL DEPOSITOR OF 13 THE ACCOUNT. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PART, ANY BANKING ORGANIZATION OR 14 FOREIGN BANKING CORPORATION OR AGENT OF THE ORGANIZATION OR FOREIGN 15 BANKING CORPORATION THAT RELEASES CASH, SECURITIES OR OTHER PROPERTY TO 16 AN ADDITIONAL ACCOUNT HOLDER SHALL NOT BE CULPABLE OF ANY OFFENSE BY THE 17 SOLE ACT OF RELEASING CASH, SECURITIES OR OTHER PROPERTY TO AN ADDI- 18 TIONAL ACCOUNT HOLDER. 19 S 3. Section 155.15 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdi- 20 vision 3 to read as follows: 21 3. IN ANY PROSECUTION FOR LARCENY BY FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF A 22 VULNERABLE ELDERLY, OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON, IT IS 23 AN AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE THAT THE DEFENDANT ACQUIRED EXPRESS CONSENT FROM 24 THE VULNERABLE OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON TO OBTAIN OR 25 USE THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY PERSON'S OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISA- 26 BLED PERSON'S PROPERTY FOR HIS OR HER OWN BENEFIT OR THE BENEFIT OF A 27 THIRD PERSON. CONSENT MUST HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY 28 PERSON OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON PRIOR TO LOSING THE 29 ABILITY TO ADEQUATELY CARE FOR HIM OR HERSELF OR BY A PERSON WHO HOLDS A 30 POWER OF ATTORNEY OR SIMILAR AUTHORITY OVER THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY OR 31 INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO THE 32 DEFENDANT OBTAINING OR USING OR ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN OR USE THE VULNER- 33 ABLE ELDERLY PERSON'S OR INCOMPETENT OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON'S 34 PROPERTY. 35 S 4. Subdivision 5 of section 473 of the social services law, as added 36 by chapter 395 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows: 37 5. Whenever a social services official, or his or her designee author- 38 ized or required to determine the need for, or to provide or arrange for 39 the provision of protective services to adults in accordance with the 40 provisions of this title has a reason to believe that a criminal offense 41 has been committed, as defined in the penal law, against a person for 42 whom the need for such services is being determined or to whom such 43 services are being provided or arranged, the social services official or 44 his or her designee must report this information to the appropriate 45 police or sheriff's department and the district attorney's office [when 46 such office has requested such information be reported by a social 47 services official or his or her designee]. 48 S 5. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 49 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.