Bill Text: NY S02171 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Restricts hiring of child care providers with criminal convictions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES [S02171 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S02171-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2171
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 18, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by Sens. GOLDEN, DeFRANCISCO, JOHNSON, LAVALLE -- read twice
         and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
         on Children and Families
       AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to criminal history
         review of child care providers
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1. Subdivision 3 of section 390-b of the social services law,
    2  as added by chapter 416 of the laws of  2000,  is  amended  to  read  as
    3  follows:
    4    3.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of law to the contrary, after
    5  reviewing any criminal history record information provided by the  divi-
    6  sion  of criminal justice services, of an individual who is subject to a
    7  criminal history record check pursuant to this section,  the  office  of
    8  children  and  family services and the provider shall take the following
    9  actions:
   10    (a) (i) Where the criminal history record of an  applicant  to  be  an
   11  operator  of  a  child  day  care center, school age child care program,
   12  group family day care home, family day care home, or any person over the
   13  age of eighteen residing in such a home, reveals a felony conviction [at
   14  any time for a sex offense, crime against a child, or a crime  involving
   15  violence,  or a felony conviction within the past five years for a drug-
   16  related offense, the office of children and family services  shall  deny
   17  the  application  unless  the office determines, in its discretion, that
   18  approval of the application will not in any way jeopardize  the  health,
   19  safety or welfare of the children in the center, program or home] FOR AN
   20  OFFENSE  DEFINED IN ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED TWENTY, ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE,
   21  ONE HUNDRED THIRTY, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE, TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE  OR
   22  TWO  HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE OF THE PENAL LAW, OR AN OFFENSE COMMITTED UNDER
   23  A FORMER PROVISION OF THE PENAL LAW WHICH WOULD CONSTITUTE  A  VIOLATION
   24  OF  THE  AFORESAID ARTICLES OF THE PENAL LAW OR ANY OFFENSE COMMITTED IN
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04647-01-1
       S. 2171                             2
    1  ANOTHER JURISDICTION WHICH WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE AFORESAID
    2  ARTICLES OF THE PENAL LAW; or
    3    (ii) Where the criminal history record of an applicant to be an opera-
    4  tor  of  a  child  day care center, school age child care program, group
    5  family day care home, family day care home, or any person over  the  age
    6  of  eighteen  residing  in such a home, reveals a conviction for a crime
    7  other than one set forth in subparagraph  (i)  of  this  paragraph,  the
    8  office  of  children  and  family  services  may  deny  the application,
    9  consistent with article twenty-three-A of the correction law; or
   10    (iii) Where the criminal history record of an applicant to be an oper-
   11  ator of a child day care center, school age child  care  program,  group
   12  family day care home, family day care home, or any other person over the
   13  age of eighteen residing in such a home, reveals a charge for any crime,
   14  the office of children and family services shall hold the application in
   15  abeyance until the charge is finally resolved.
   16    (b)  (i)  Where the criminal history record of a current operator of a
   17  child day care center, school age child care program, group  family  day
   18  care  home,  family  day  care home, or any other person over the age of
   19  eighteen residing in such a home, reveals a conviction for a  crime  set
   20  forth  in  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the
   21  office of children and family services shall conduct a safety assessment
   22  of the program and take all appropriate steps to protect the health  and
   23  safety of the children in the program. The office of children and family
   24  services  shall  deny,  [limit,  suspend,] revoke, reject or terminate a
   25  license or registration based on such a conviction[, unless  the  office
   26  determines,  in  its discretion, that continued operation of the center,
   27  program or home will not in any way jeopardize  the  health,  safety  or
   28  welfare of the children in the center, program or home];
   29    (ii)  Where  the  criminal  history  record of a current operator of a
   30  child day care center, school age child care program, group  family  day
   31  care  home,  family  day  care home, or any other person over the age of
   32  eighteen residing in such a home, reveals a conviction for a crime other
   33  than one set forth in subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
   34  sion, the office of children and family services shall conduct a  safety
   35  assessment  of the program and take all appropriate steps to protect the
   36  health and safety of the children in the program. The office  may  deny,
   37  limit,  suspend,  revoke,  reject or terminate a license or registration
   38  based on such a conviction, consistent with  article  twenty-three-A  of
   39  the correction law;
   40    (iii)  Where  the  criminal  history record of a current operator of a
   41  child day care center, school age child care program, group  family  day
   42  care  home,  family  day  care home, or any other person over the age of
   43  eighteen residing in such a home, reveals a charge for  any  crime,  the
   44  office of children and family services shall conduct a safety assessment
   45  of  the program and take all appropriate steps to protect the health and
   46  safety of the children in the program. The office may suspend a  license
   47  or  registration  based  on such a charge where necessary to protect the
   48  health and safety of the children in the program.
   49    (c) (i) Where the criminal history record of an  applicant  to  be  an
   50  employee  or  volunteer  at  a child day care center or school age child
   51  care program reveals a conviction for a crime set forth in  subparagraph
   52  (i)  of  paragraph  (a)  of this subdivision, the office of children and
   53  family services shall  direct  the  provider  to  deny  the  application
   54  [unless  the  office determines, in its discretion, that approval of the
   55  application will not in any way jeopardize the health, safety or welfare
   56  of the children in the center or program];
       S. 2171                             3
    1    (ii) Where the criminal history  record  of  an  applicant  to  be  an
    2  employee  or  volunteer  at  a child day care center or school age child
    3  care program reveals a conviction for a crime other than one  set  forth
    4  in  subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the office of
    5  children and family services may, consistent with article twenty-three-A
    6  of the correction law, direct the provider to deny the application;
    7    (iii)  Where  the  criminal  history  record  of an applicant to be an
    8  employee or volunteer at a child day care center  or  school  age  child
    9  care  program reveals a charge for any crime, the office of children and
   10  family services shall hold the application in abeyance until the  charge
   11  is finally resolved.
   12    (d)  (i)  Where  the  criminal history record of a current employee or
   13  volunteer at a child day care center or school age  child  care  program
   14  reveals  a conviction for a crime set forth in subparagraph (i) of para-
   15  graph (a) of  this  subdivision,  the  office  of  children  and  family
   16  services  shall  conduct a safety assessment of the program and take all
   17  appropriate steps to protect the health and safety of  the  children  in
   18  the  program.  The  office  shall  direct  the provider to terminate the
   19  employee or volunteer based on such a  conviction[,  unless  the  office
   20  determines,  in  its  discretion,  that  the  continued  presence of the
   21  employee or volunteer in the center or program will not in any way jeop-
   22  ardize the health, safety or welfare of the children in  the  center  or
   23  program];
   24    (ii) Where the criminal history record of a current employee or volun-
   25  teer at a child day care center or school age child care program reveals
   26  a conviction for a crime other than one set forth in subparagraph (i) of
   27  paragraph  (a)  of  this  subdivision, the office of children and family
   28  services shall conduct a safety assessment of the program and  take  all
   29  appropriate  steps  to  protect the health and safety of the children in
   30  the program. The office may direct the provider to terminate the employ-
   31  ee or volunteer based on such  a  conviction,  consistent  with  article
   32  twenty-three-A of the correction law;
   33     (iii)  Where  the  criminal  history  record of a current employee or
   34  volunteer at a child day care center or school age  child  care  program
   35  reveals  a  charge  for  any  crime,  the  office of children and family
   36  services shall conduct a safety assessment of the program and  take  all
   37  appropriate  steps  to  protect the health and safety of the children in
   38  the program.
   39    (e) (i) Where the criminal history record of an  applicant  to  be  an
   40  employee,  assistant  or  volunteer  at  a group family day care home or
   41  family day care home reveals a conviction  for  a  crime  set  forth  in
   42  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph  (a) of this subdivision, the office of
   43  children and family services shall  direct  the  provider  to  deny  the
   44  application  [unless  the  office  determines,  in  its discretion, that
   45  approval of the application will not in any way jeopardize  the  health,
   46  safety or welfare of the children in the home];
   47    (ii)  Where  the  criminal  history  record  of  an applicant to be an
   48  employee, assistant or volunteer at a group  family  day  care  home  or
   49  family day care home reveals a conviction for a crime other than one set
   50  forth  in  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the
   51  office of children and family  services  may,  consistent  with  article
   52  twenty-three-A  of  the  correction law, direct the provider to deny the
   53  application;
   54    (iii) Where the criminal history record  of  an  applicant  to  be  an
   55  employee,  assistant  or  volunteer  at  a group family day care home or
   56  family day care home reveals a charge for any crime, the office of chil-
       S. 2171                             4
    1  dren and family services shall hold the application  in  abeyance  until
    2  the charge is finally resolved.
    3    (f)  (i)  Where  the  criminal  history  record of a current employee,
    4  assistant or volunteer at a group family day care  home  or  family  day
    5  care home reveals a conviction for a crime set forth in subparagraph (i)
    6  of  paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the office of children and family
    7  services shall conduct a safety assessment of the program and  take  all
    8  appropriate  steps  to  protect the health and safety of the children in
    9  the home. The office of children and family services  shall  direct  the
   10  provider to terminate the employee, assistant or volunteer based on such
   11  a conviction[, unless the office determines, in its discretion, that the
   12  continued  presence  of the employee, assistant or volunteer in the home
   13  will not in any way jeopardize the health,  safety  or  welfare  of  the
   14  children in the home];
   15    (ii)  Where the criminal history record of a current employee, assist-
   16  ant or volunteer at a group family day care home or family day care home
   17  reveals a conviction for a crime other than one set  forth  in  subpara-
   18  graph  (i)  of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the office of children
   19  and family services shall conduct a safety assessment of  the  home  and
   20  take all appropriate steps to protect the health and safety of the chil-
   21  dren  in  the  home. The office may direct the provider to terminate the
   22  employee, assistant or volunteer based on such a conviction,  consistent
   23  with article twenty-three-A of the correction law;
   24    (iii) Where the criminal history record of a current employee, assist-
   25  ant or volunteer at a group family day care home or family day care home
   26  reveals  a  charge  for  any  crime,  the  office of children and family
   27  services shall conduct a safety assessment of  the  home  and  take  all
   28  appropriate  steps  to  protect the health and safety of the children in
   29  the home.
   30    (g) Advise the provider that the individual has  no  criminal  history
   31  record.
   32    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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