Bill Text: NY S02059 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to establishing a court-appointed special advocates program to aid the family court.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-3)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-19 - SUBSTITUTED BY A1050A [S02059 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S02059-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2059--A
            Cal. No. 191
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 11, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced by Sens. BONACIC, CARLUCCI, GALLIVAN, KENNEDY, RITCHIE, SAVI-
          NO,  VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be
          committed to the Committee on Judiciary -- recommitted to the  Commit-
          tee  on Judiciary in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported
          favorably from said committee, ordered to  first  and  second  report,
          ordered  to  a  third  reading,  passed by Senate and delivered to the
          Assembly, recalled, vote  reconsidered,  restored  to  third  reading,
          amended  and  ordered  reprinted,  retaining its place in the order of
          third reading
        AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation  to  the  court-appointed
          special advocates program
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Subdivision 2 of  section  212  of  the  judiciary  law  is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph (w) to read as follows:
     3    (w)  Adopt  rules and regulations standardizing use of court-appointed
     4  special advocate (CASA) programs in this state and governing the  struc-
     5  ture, administration and operation of such programs.
     6    § 2. The judiciary law is amended by adding a new article 21-C to read
     7  as follows:
     8                                ARTICLE 21-C
     9                  COURT-APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES PROGRAM
    10  Section 849-l. Appointment.
    11          849-m. Confidentiality.
    12    §  849-l.  Appointment.  A  person employed by, or volunteering for, a
    13  court-appointed special advocate (CASA) program shall  not  be  eligible
    14  for  appointment  by  a  family  court  to assist such court unless such
    15  program is in compliance with the rules and  regulations  of  the  chief
    16  administrator  of the courts adopted pursuant to paragraph (w) of subdi-
    17  vision two of section two hundred  twelve  of  this  chapter,  and  such
    18  program  has  been  approved  by the chief administrator. Such person or
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04741-09-8
        S. 2059--A                          2
     1  volunteer so appointed shall only  exercise  the  functions  and  duties
     2  specifically authorized by the court.
     3    § 849-m. Confidentiality. Each CASA program shall safeguard the confi-
     4  dentiality of all information and material in accordance with applicable
     5  state  and  federal  laws, rules and regulations and, to this end, shall
     6  ensure that all of its board members, officers, employees and volunteers
     7  are trained in, and comply with, such laws, rules and regulations.
     8    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.