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Sponsors
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History
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Requires a criminal history report for certain employment or volunteer applicants to the office for people with developmental disabilities
In Assembly Committee · Mental Health · Sponsor David Weprin
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S2301
Title of bill
An act to amend the mental hygiene law and the executive law, in relation to directing the commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate regulations authorizing the denial or disapproval of certain employment or volunteer applications following a criminal history report for such applicant
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to keep individuals with a history of violence or criminal records from working with patients at OPWDD facilities.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one amends section 13.19 of the mental hygiene law by adding a new subdivision (e) requiring a criminal history report for any prospective employee to have direct patient contact.
Section two amends subdivision 8-a of section 837 of the executive law which addresses supply of criminal history reports at no cost to include those requested under mental hygiene law.
Justification
Those working at the homes which care for the disabled in the state have a very difficult job. Unfortunately, there have been recent cases, including the 2007 death of Jonathan Carey at the O.D. Heck facility, near Albany, where the 13 year old autistic boy was suffocated to death by an employee there who had a criminal record.
According to a NY Times article entitled. "A Disabled Boy's Death, and a System in Disarray," the standards for hiring at these facilities is very low. This puts our most vulnerable population at risk, and we must do our part to ensure they are not harmed by the very people we hire to take care of them.
Legislative history
2012: S.6326 - Reported to Finance/A.8667 - Referred to Mental Health
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.