Bill Text: NY S02737 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Eliminates the use of the term "incorrigible".

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-04-06 - SIGNED CHAP.97 [S02737 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S02737-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2737

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 25, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. SALAZAR, BIAGGI, BRISPORT, KRUEGER, LIU, MAY, MYRIE
          -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
          the Committee on Children and Families

        AN ACT to amend the family court act, in relation to eliminating the use
          of the term incorrigible

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivisions (a) and (c) of section 712 of the family court
     2  act,  as  amended  by  section  1 of part K of chapter 56 of the laws of
     3  2019, are amended to read as follows:
     4    (a) "Person in need of supervision". A person less than eighteen years
     5  of age: (i) who does not attend school in accordance with the provisions
     6  of part one of article sixty-five of the  education  law;  (ii)  who  is
     7  [incorrigible,]  ungovernable  or  habitually disobedient and beyond the
     8  lawful control of a parent or other person legally responsible for  such
     9  child's  care,  or  other  lawful  authority;  (iii)  who  violates  the
    10  provisions of: (1) section 221.05; or (2) 230.00 of the penal law;  (iv)
    11  or  who appears to be a sexually exploited child as defined in paragraph
    12  (a), (c) or (d) of subdivision one of section four hundred forty-seven-a
    13  of the social services law, but only if the child consents to the filing
    14  of a petition under this article.
    15    (c)  "Fact-finding  hearing".  A  hearing  to  determine  whether  the
    16  respondent did the acts alleged to show that he or she violated a law or
    17  is [incorrigible,] ungovernable or habitually disobedient and beyond the
    18  control of his or her parents, guardian or legal custodian.
    19    §  2.  Paragraph  (i)  of subdivision (a) of section 732 of the family
    20  court act, as amended by section 9 of part G of chapter 58 of  the  laws
    21  of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
    22    (i)  the  respondent is an habitual truant or is [incorrigible,] ungo-
    23  vernable[,] or habitually disobedient and beyond the lawful  control  of
    24  his or her parents, guardian or lawful custodian, or has been the victim

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03013-01-1

        S. 2737                             2

     1  of  sexual  exploitation  as  defined in subdivision one of section four
     2  hundred forty-seven-a of the social services  law,  and  specifying  the
     3  acts  on  which  the  allegations  are based and the time and place they
     4  allegedly  occurred. Where habitual truancy is alleged or the petitioner
     5  is a school district or local educational  agency,  the  petition  shall
     6  also include the steps taken by the responsible school district or local
     7  educational  agency  to  improve the school attendance and/or conduct of
     8  the respondent;
     9    § 3. Section 773 of the family court act, as amended by chapter 920 of
    10  the laws of 1982, is amended to read as follows:
    11    § 773. Petition for transfer [for incorrigibility].  Any  institution,
    12  society  or  agency  in  which  a  person was placed under section seven
    13  hundred fifty-six of this article may petition to the court  which  made
    14  the order of placement for transfer of that person to a society or agen-
    15  cy,  governed  or  controlled  by persons of the same religious faith or
    16  persuasion as that of the child, where practicable, or, if not practica-
    17  ble, to some other suitable  institution,  or  to  some  other  suitable
    18  institution on the ground that [such person]
    19    (a)  [is incorrigible and that his or her] the presence of such person
    20  is seriously detrimental to the welfare of  the  applicant  institution,
    21  society, agency or other persons in its care, or
    22    (b)  after  placement by the court, such person was released on parole
    23  or probation from such institution, society or  agency  and  a  term  or
    24  condition  of  the release was willfully violated. The petition shall be
    25  verified by an officer of the applicant institution, society  or  agency
    26  and  shall  specify  the  act  or  acts  bringing the person within this
    27  section.
    28    § 4. Subdivision (h) of section 1012 of the family court act, as added
    29  by chapter 1015 of the laws of 1972, is amended to read as follows:
    30    (h) "Impairment of emotional health"  and  "impairment  of  mental  or
    31  emotional  condition"  includes  a  state  of  substantially  diminished
    32  psychological or intellectual functioning in relation to, but not limit-
    33  ed to, such factors as failure to thrive, control of aggressive or self-
    34  destructive impulses, ability to think and  reason,  or  acting  out  or
    35  misbehavior,  including  [incorrigibility,]  ungovernability or habitual
    36  truancy; provided, however, that such impairment must be clearly attrib-
    37  utable to the unwillingness or inability of the respondent to exercise a
    38  minimum degree of care toward the child.
    39    § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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