Bill Text: NY S06370 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a task force to study and assess the condition of African American men in New York; provides such task force shall consist of 17 members and report its findings no later than December 31, 2024.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S06370 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S06370-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6370

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     April 18, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

        AN ACT to establish a task force on the condition  of  African  American
          men in New York state

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

     1    Section 1. Legislative intent.  The  legislature  finds  that  African
     2  American  men:  (a)  are disproportionately less likely to complete high
     3  school and to obtain a post-secondary education; (b) are more likely  to
     4  be incarcerated or on parole; (c) are more likely to have lower lifetime
     5  economic  earnings; (d) are more likely to have been a part of the child
     6  welfare population; (e) are more likely to have a shorter life expectan-
     7  cy; and (f) are more likely to have health problems, such  as  HIV/AIDS,
     8  drug  dependency,  heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The legislature
     9  additionally finds that the state of New York has a compelling  interest
    10  in  determining the causes of these problems and in developing appropri-
    11  ate remedies.
    12    § 2. The New York state task force on the condition of African  Ameri-
    13  can  men  is hereby established. The role of the task force includes but
    14  is not limited to:
    15    (a) assessing the causal factors for the condition of African American
    16  men;
    17    (b) assessing state programs and initiatives that serve to improve the
    18  condition of African American men  and  identifying  the  gaps  in  such
    19  services;
    20    (c)  developing  strategies  to  reduce duplication of services and to
    21  maximize coordination between state agencies, providers and  educational
    22  institutions, including developing benchmarks to measure progress; and
    23    (d) preparing a report for submission to the governor and the legisla-
    24  ture  that  provides  specific  recommendations regarding existing state

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01747-01-3
        S. 6370                             2

     1  laws, regulations, programs, policies, and  practices  relating  to  the
     2  condition of African American men in the state.
     3    § 3. The task force shall issue its findings, in the form of a report,
     4  no later than December 31, 2024.
     5    §  4. The task force shall consist of 17 members and shall include the
     6  commissioner of temporary and disability assistance, the commissioner of
     7  children and family services, the commissioner of corrections and commu-
     8  nity supervision, the commissioner of economic development, the  commis-
     9  sioner  of health, the commissioner of human rights, the commissioner of
    10  education, the commissioner of labor and the  chancellor  of  the  state
    11  university  of  New  York,  or  a  designee of any of such officers. The
    12  remaining eight shall be appointed, within 60 days of the effective date
    13  of this act, as follows:  two shall be appointed by the temporary presi-
    14  dent of the senate; two shall be appointed by the minority leader of the
    15  senate; two shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly;  and  two
    16  shall  be  appointed  by the minority leader of the assembly. The member
    17  from the office of temporary and disability assistance  shall  serve  as
    18  the  director  of  the  task  force and he or she may assign staff as is
    19  necessary to carry out  the  provisions  of  this  section.  Task  force
    20  members  shall  receive  no compensation for their services but shall be
    21  reimbursed for travel expenses incurred  in  the  performance  of  their
    22  duties.
    23    §  5.  The  task  force may consult with any organization, educational
    24  institution, governmental agency, or person, that advocates for  African
    25  American men.
    26    § 6. The director of the task force may reconvene the task force, with
    27  the  same or different members, after issuance of the report, to address
    28  any further issues associated with the condition of African American men
    29  in New York state.
    30    § 7. All departments or agencies of the state or subdivisions  thereof
    31  shall,  at the request of the director, provide the task force with such
    32  facilities, assistance, and data as will enable the task force to  carry
    33  out its powers and duties.
    34    § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.