What's happening
This bill expands the definition of "qualified agencies" to include public defenders, legal aid societies, and assigned counsel administrators.
Why it matters
Broadens access to criminal justice records. By including public defenders, legal aid societies, and assigned counsel administrators as "qualified agencies," these groups will have greater access to official records, which can be crucial for building robust defenses for their clients.
Promotes fairer legal representation. This change helps to level the playing field between prosecution and defense, ensuring that defense attorneys have the same access to information as prosecutors and law enforcement.
Could improve case outcomes for indigent defendants. Legal aid and assigned counsel often represent clients who cannot afford private attorneys; expanded access to records could lead to more thorough investigations and potentially better legal outcomes for these individuals.
May impact case processing and resource allocation. Allowing more agencies access to sensitive records could increase administrative workloads and require new protocols to protect privacy, which might affect how quickly agencies process requests and manage confidential information.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Add Defenders to Qualified Agencies
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Substituted by S2198
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.401
- Rules report cal.401
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
- Reference changed 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.
Add Defenders as Qualified Agencies
Vetoed · Sponsor Jamaal Bailey
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7644
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. LENTOL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABINANTI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the definition of qualified agencies
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 9 of section 835 of the executive law, as separately amended by chapters 14 and 155 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
9. "Qualified agencies" means courts in the unified court system, the administrative board of the judicial conference, probation departments, sheriffs' offices, district attorneys' offices, the state department of corrections and community supervision, the department of correction of any municipality, the financial frauds and consumer protection unit of the state department of financial services, the office of professional medical conduct of the state department of health for the purposes of section two hundred thirty of the public health law, the child protective services unit of a local social services district when conducting an investigation pursuant to subdivision six of section four hundred twenty-four of the social services law, the office of Medicaid inspector general, the temporary state commission of investigation, police forces and departments having responsibility for enforcement of the general criminal laws of the state, the Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences Laboratory when acting within the scope of its law enforcement duties and the division of forensic services of the Nassau county medical examiner's office when acting within the scope of its law enforcement duties and public defenders, legal aid societies, and assigned counsel administrators.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05573-01-9
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.