What's happening
This bill expands confidentiality protections for minors who are victims of sex offenses or HIV-related offenses, prohibiting disclosure of their age, gender, address, or relation to the accused.
Why it matters
Broadens privacy for minors. By explicitly making the age, gender, address, and family relationship to the accused confidential for victims under 18, the bill closes loopholes that could allow indirect identification or targeting of young victims.
Reduces risk of retraumatization and stigma. Protecting these additional details helps prevent further emotional harm, social stigma, or harassment that can result from public exposure—especially important for minors dealing with sensitive crimes.
Limits information available in public records. The bill ensures that any official document or file in government custody cannot reveal these protected characteristics, tightening access to potentially identifying information in legal and media contexts.
Addresses unique vulnerability of related victims. Recognizing that many offenses involve someone known or related to the victim, keeping the relationship confidential offers extra protection in cases where family or close connections could make identification easier or retaliation more likely.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect Child Victims’ Privacy
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Held for consideration in governmental operations
- Referred to governmental operations
- Referred to governmental operations
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1074
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH, BARCLAY, GIGLIO, HAWLEY, KOLB -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting the right of privacy of victims of sex offenses or offenses involving the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus, under the age of eighteen, by prohibiting the disclosure of certain characteristics
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 50-b of the civil rights law, as amended by chapter 320 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
1. The identity of any victim of a sex offense, as defined in article one hundred thirty or section 255.25, 255.26 or 255.27 of the penal law, or of an offense involving the alleged transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus, shall be confidential. Any characteristic of a person under the age of eighteen including, but not limited to, age or gender and such person's address shall be confidential. Additionally, if a victim is under the age of eighteen and is related to the accused, the relation shall be confidential. No report, paper, picture, photograph, court file or other documents, in the custody or possession of any public officer or employee, which identifies such a victim shall be made available for public inspection. No such public officer or employee shall disclose any portion of any police report, court file, or other document, which tends to identify such a victim except as provided in subdivision two of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02756-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.