What's happening
Writing a plain-English summary… Track this bill to get it by email.
Why it matters
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the family court act, in relation to the issuance of orders of protection for the benefit of witnesses
Purpose
Authorizes family courts to issue orders of protection for the protection of witnesses.
Summary of provisions
Sections 1 through 7 of the bill amend the Family Court Act to add provisions to require a petitioner or respondent to stay away from any witness specifically designated by a family court.
Sections 8 and 9 of the bill amend the Domestic Relations Law to add provisions to require any party to stay away from any witness specifically designated by a family court.
Section 10 of the bill would establish an immediate effective date.
Justification
Witnesses called to testify in family court are not afforded any legal protection. Very often witnesses are reluctant to testify out of fear. Providing for a court order of protection for certain witnesses will facilitate their willingness to come forward and testify even when they feel their testimony may endanger their safety. While an order of protection cannot guarantee the safety of a witness, it can help.
Prior legislative history
2007: S.3646 - Passed Senate 2008: S.3646 - Referred to Social Services
Fiscal implications
None noted.
Effective date
This act would take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.