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Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 61
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to children and families
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to children and families
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.922
- Referred to children and families
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S3224
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to authorizing the release of child abuse reports to social services officials
Summary of provisions
SECTION 1 amends paragraph (A) of subdivision 4 of section 422 of the social services law to add a new subparagraph (aa) to add adult protective service officials to the list of persons to whom reports made pursuant to Social Services Law Title 6 regarding child abuse and maltreatment, together with any other records, may be made available when such information is necessary to conduct an adult protective service investigation.
SECTION 2 provides that this act shall take effect immediately.
Purpose and justification
In January, 2010, Laura Cummings, a twenty-three year old developmentally disabled young woman, was smothered to death by her mother. Evidence suggests that her death was preceded by years of torture and abuse. The local Adult Protective Services Department attempted to investigate complaints regarding her maltreatment, but was unable to access sealed records regarding child abuse and neglect that had been opened while Laura was a child that might have been of assistance in their investigation. If those records had been made available, this tragic death might have been avoided. Social Service Department officials indicate that there are many situations where an adult protective service investigation, intended to protect innocent adult victims of abuse, and particularly involving handicapped and developmentally disabled young people, can benefit from knowledge of the history of the family or the victim that is contained in the child abuse and maltreatment files.
Existing law
Social Services Law 422(4) lists persons to whom records regarding child abuse and maltreatment may be made available.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.