What's happening
This bill allows courts to direct certain fines and penalties to the Office of Victim Services for use in victim support programs.
Why it matters
Empowers courts to allocate fines directly to victim support. This gives judges the discretion to direct money from certain criminal fines to the Office of Victim Services, potentially increasing resources available for victims without raising taxes or creating new fees.
Expands funding sources for victim services. By allowing fines and penalties (not just grants or gifts) to be used, the bill broadens the ways the Office of Victim Services can receive and use funds, making victim support programs less reliant on unpredictable donations or government grants.
May impact sentencing and court practices. The discretionary power given to courts could lead to more frequent or larger financial penalties being imposed in cases covered by these statutes, as judges consider the benefit to victim assistance programs when making their decisions.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Antitrust Fines Aid Victims
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Substituted by S41
- Advanced to third reading cal.113
- Reported
- Reported referred to codes
- Referred to governmental operations
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.
Let Courts Send Fines to Victims
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4054
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 31, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the general business law and the executive law, in relation to the disposition of certain fines
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 347-a to read as follows:
§ 347-a. Fines payable to the office of victim services. Following sentencing for a crime pursuant to section three hundred forty-one of this article or upon a judgment pursuant to section three hundred forty-two-a of this article, the court in its discretion may determine that any fine or penalty or any portion thereof shall be paid to the office of victim services to be expended for any purpose of article twenty-two of the executive law as provided by subdivision nineteen of section six hundred twenty-three of such law.
§ 2. Subdivision 19 of section 623 of the executive law, as amended by section 8 of part A-1 of chapter 56 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
19. To accept, with the approval of the governor, as agent of the state, any grant including federal grants, any fines or penalties imposed pursuant to section three hundred forty-one or three hundred forty-two-a of the general business law and made payable to the office pursuant to section three hundred forty-seven-a of such law, or any gift for the purposes of this article. Any monies so received may be expended by the office to effectuate any purpose of this article, subject to the applicable provisions of the state finance law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law and shall apply to any judgment entered or fine or penalty imposed on or after such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03426-01-9
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.