What's happening
This bill requires surveillance cameras with sound in public areas of group homes, residential facilities, and certain schools serving people with disabilities.
Why it matters
Increased transparency and safety. By requiring surveillance cameras with sound in common areas of group homes, residential facilities, and schools for people with disabilities, the bill aims to deter abuse, neglect, and misconduct, and provides an objective record for investigations when incidents occur.
Privacy considerations and exceptions. The bill generally keeps cameras out of private bedrooms, except for children aged 13 or younger in single-occupancy rooms, and only with parental or guardian consent—balancing oversight needs with individual privacy rights.
Accountability through enforcement. The bill introduces a significant penalty—$1,000 per day—for providers who fail to install and maintain the required surveillance systems, signaling strong enforcement and prioritization of compliance.
Potential operational and ethical impacts. Facilities will face new costs and logistical challenges to install and manage audio-visual surveillance, and there may be ongoing debates about the effects on the dignity and autonomy of residents and students being monitored.
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Who cares
Disability-service providers
Covered group homes, residential and day schools, and programs serving children or adults with mental or physical disabilities would have to install cameras with sound capability in all public common areas or face fines of $1,000 per day of noncompliance.
Youth residential-care providers
Facilities operated, licensed, certified or supervised by the Office of Children and Family Services would have to equip all public common areas with cameras with sound capability.
Parents and guardians of children with mental disabilities
They could request and consent to cameras in single-occupancy bedrooms of children age 13 or younger in covered residential facilities.
Children and adults in covered facilities
Their activities in common living areas, dining areas, hallways, classrooms and time-out rooms would be subject to surveillance by cameras with sound capability.
Headline styles
Cameras in Disabled Kids’ Homes
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to mental health
- Referred to mental health
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.
Cameras in Group Homes
In Senate Committee · Mental Health And Developmental Disabilities · Sponsor Andrew J. Lanza
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3182
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 28, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ABINANTI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to duties of providers of services for the developmentally disabled
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 16.39 to read as follows: § 16.39 Surveillance cameras.
(a) (i) Surveillance cameras with sound capability shall be installed in all public common areas including, but not limited to, all common living areas, dining areas, hallways, classrooms and time-out rooms in all group homes, residential and day schools and programs licensed, certified, funded or operated by the office which provide services for children or adults with mental or physical disabilities.
(ii) All public common areas including, but not limited to, all common living areas, dining areas, hallways, classrooms and time-out rooms of a facility providing residential care to youth which is operated, licensed or certified by the office of children and family services, or which is subject to the supervision of such office shall be equipped with surveillance cameras with sound capability.
(b) In all residential facilities statewide, for children with mental disabilities certified, licensed, funded or operated by the office, surveillance cameras may be placed in a child's, age thirteen or younger, room at the request of and with the consent of the child's parent or guardian and only if the child is in a single occupancy bedroom.
(c) Any provider that fails to implement the provisions of this section shall be subjected to a fine of one thousand dollars per day of noncompliances.
§ 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04321-01-9
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.