What's happening
This bill prohibits state psychiatric facilities sharing a building with children's psychiatric centers from admitting or treating registered sex offenders.
Why it matters
Increases safety measures for children. in state-run psychiatric facilities by requiring checks for sex offender status before admitting or treating any patient in buildings shared with children's psychiatric centers.
May restrict treatment access for registered sex offenders. in certain locations, potentially forcing them to seek psychiatric care elsewhere, which could impact both offender rehabilitation and public safety management.
Mandates new administrative procedures and coordination. for psychiatric facilities, as staff must verify sex offender status prior to admission or treatment, potentially leading to logistical changes and increased workload.
Reflects broader policy debates. about balancing the rehabilitation rights of offenders with the safety and protection needs of vulnerable populations, such as children receiving psychiatric care.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Keep Sex Offenders From Kids
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 62
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to mental health
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 63–0
- Amended on third reading 4593a
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.175
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to mental health
- Delivered to assembly
Show 5 earlier actions
- Passed senateVote 60–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.661
- 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.
Keep Sex Offenders Separate
In Assembly Committee · Mental Health · Sponsor William Colton
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4593--A Cal. No. 175
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 21, 2017
Introduced by Sens. ORTT, AKSHAR, AVELLA, GALLIVAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities -- recommitted to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to treatment of sex offenders in certain facilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 9.65 to read as follows: § 9.65 Treatment of sex offenders in certain facilities.
Any facility operated by the state, which provides non-emergency, clinical outpatient or inpatient psychiatric treatment and which operates in the same building as a children's psychiatric center operated by the state shall determine, prior to the treatment or admission of any person, whether such person is a sex offender, as defined by subdivision one of section one hundred sixty-eight-a of the correction law. No facility which operates in the same building as a children's psychiatric center shall admit or treat a registered sex offender at such location.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10093-03-8
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to treatment of sex offenders in certain facilities
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation would prohibit a sex offender from receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment at a facility that is in the same building as a children's psychiatric facility.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends the mental hygiene law to add a new Section 9.65 which states that any facility operated by the state which provides non-emer- gency outpatient or inpatient psychiatric treatment and which operates in the same building as a children's psychiatric center operated by the State shall not treat a registered sex offender at this location.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Justification
The co-mingling of adult and children mental health patients is an incredibly poor idea that has no therapeutic benefit. While the State is considering this idea it must be made clear that the mental health of these children and adolescent patients is paramount. The thought of co-mingling these populations is a poor idea, made only poorer by the fact that there are no current statutes protecting these young individ- ual from sexual offenders who will be receiving treatment. Ensuring that these populations are separate should be the State's priority.
Prior legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.