What's happening
This bill expands mandatory child abuse reporting to include more college staff and paid camp staff, and broadens the definition of summer day camps.
Why it matters
Expands who must report suspected child abuse. By adding college coaches, athletic directors, professors, graduate assistants, administrators, and presidents to the list of mandated reporters, the law increases accountability and responsibility for protecting students at higher education institutions.
Covers more camp staff. The bill explicitly includes any paid staff member at children’s camps—beyond just directors—as mandatory reporters. This means anyone employed at or near camp premises who interacts with children must report suspected abuse, closing previous gaps where some staff might not have been covered.
Broadens what counts as a “summer day camp”. The revised definition now includes any organized group activity—indoor or outdoor—where children are supervised, not just those with high-risk physical activities. Educational programs and single-activity camps are also included if they involve risk or education, ensuring more children in varied camp settings are protected.
Narrows exceptions and strengthens oversight. The public health commissioner’s ability to exempt activities from regulation is now limited; camps focused on a single risky or educational activity can no longer be excepted. This change means greater regulatory oversight and safety standards for more youth programs.
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Who cares
College coaches, faculty and administrators
The bill would explicitly add college coaches, athletic directors, professors, graduate assistants, administrators and presidents to the mandated child abuse and maltreatment reporting list.
Paid camp and host-site staff
The bill would extend mandatory reporting beyond camp directors to paid staff, including people who may interact with children through employment at camps or the premises hosting them.
Educational and single-activity summer day camp operators
The bill would expand the summer day camp definition to include educational programs and bar exemptions for single-activity camps offering education or qualifying higher-risk recreation.
State Department of Health
The bill would limit the commissioner's authority to exempt certain single-activity summer day camps from the governing law and sanitary code.
Headline styles
Expand Child Abuse Reporting
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
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.
Expand Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting
In Assembly Committee · Children And Families · Sponsor Mary Beth Walsh
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
542
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. TEDISCO, WALCZYK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law and the public health law, in relation to mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment by certain persons
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social services law, as amended by section 7 of part C of chapter 57 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The following persons and officials are required to report or cause a report to be made in accordance with this title when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child coming before them in their professional or official capacity is an abused or maltreated child, or when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is an abused or maltreated child where the parent, guardian, custodian or other person legally responsible for such child comes before them in their professional or official capacity and states from personal knowledge facts, conditions or circumstances which, if correct, would render the child an abused or maltreated child: any physician; registered physician assistant; surgeon; medical examiner; coroner; dentist; dental hygienist; osteopath; optometrist; chiropractor; podiatrist; resident; intern; psychologist; registered nurse; social worker; emergency medical technician; licensed creative arts therapist; licensed marriage and family therapist; licensed mental health counselor; licensed psychoanalyst; licensed behavior analyst; certified behavior analyst assistant; hospital personnel engaged in the admission, examination, care or treatment of persons; a Christian Science practitioner; school official, which includes but is not limited to college coach, athletic director, profes-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01852-01-5
sor, graduate assistant, college administrator, college president, school teacher, school guidance counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, school administrator or other school personnel required to hold a teaching or administrative license or certificate; full or part-time compensated school employee required to hold a temporary coaching license or professional coaching certificate; social services worker; employee of a publicly-funded emergency shelter for families with children; director or any paid staff member of a children's overnight camp, summer day camp or traveling summer day camp, as such camps are defined in section thirteen hundred ninety-two of the public health law, such paid staff members shall include, but not be limited to, any individuals who may interact with children through employment at such camps or employment at premises where such camps are located; day care center worker; school-age child care worker; provider of family or group family day care; employee or volunteer in a residential care facility for children that is licensed, certified or operated by the office of children and family services; or any other child care or foster care worker; mental health professional; substance abuse counselor; alcoholism counselor; all persons credentialed by the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services; employees, who are expected to have regular and substantial contact with children, of a health home or health home care management agency contracting with a health home as designated by the department of health and authorized under section three hundred sixty-five-l of this chapter or such employees who provide home and community based services under a demonstration program pursuant to section eleven hundred fifteen of the federal social security act who are expected to have regular and substantial contact with children; peace officer; police officer; district attorney or assistant district attorney; investigator employed in the office of a district attorney; or other law enforcement official.
§ 1-a. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social services law, as amended by chapter 733 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The following persons and officials are required to report or cause a report to be made in accordance with this title when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child coming before them in their professional or official capacity is an abused or maltreated child, or when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is an abused or maltreated child where the parent, guardian, custodian or other person legally responsible for such child comes before them in their professional or official capacity and states from personal knowledge facts, conditions or circumstances which, if correct, would render the child an abused or maltreated child: any physician; registered physician assistant; surgeon; medical examiner; coroner; dentist; dental hygienist; osteopath; optometrist; chiropractor; podiatrist; resident; intern; athletic trainer; psychologist; registered nurse; social worker; emergency medical technician; licensed creative arts therapist; licensed marriage and family therapist; licensed mental health counselor; licensed psychoanalyst; licensed behavior analyst; certified behavior analyst assistant; hospital personnel engaged in the admission, examination, care or treatment of persons; a Christian Science practitioner; school official, which includes but is not limited to, college coach, athletic director, professor, graduate assistant, college administrator, college president, school teacher, school guidance counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, school administrator or other school personnel required to hold a teaching or administrative license or certificate; full or part-time compensated school employee required to hold a temporary coaching license or professional coaching certificate; social services worker; employee of a publicly-funded emergency shelter for families with children; director or any paid staff member of a children's overnight camp, summer day camp or traveling summer day camp, as such camps are defined in section thirteen hundred ninety-two of the public health law; such paid staff members shall include, but not be limited to, any individuals who may interact with children through employment at such camps or employment at premises where such camps are located; day care center worker; school-age child care worker; provider of family or group family day care; employee or volunteer in a residential care facility for children that is licensed, certified or operated by the office of children and family services; or any other child care or foster care worker; mental health professional; substance abuse counselor; alcoholism counselor; all persons credentialed by the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services; employees, who are expected to have regular and substantial contact with children, of a health home or health home care management agency contracting with a health home as designated by the department of health and authorized under section three hundred sixty-five-l of this chapter or such employees who provide home and community based services under a demonstration program pursuant to section eleven hundred fifteen of the federal social security act who are expected to have regular and substantial contact with children; peace officer; police officer; district attorney or assistant district attorney; investigator employed in the office of a district attorney; or other law enforcement official.
§ 2. Subdivision 2 of section 1392 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 439 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
2. "Summer day camp" shall mean a property consisting of a tract of land and any tents, vehicles, buildings or other structures that may be pertinent to its use, any part of which may be occupied on a scheduled basis at any time between June first and September fifteenth in any year by children under sixteen years of age under general supervision, for the purpose of any indoor or outdoor organized group activities, involving one or more: (i) nonpassive recreational activities with significant risk of injury, as such activities are defined by the department in rules and regulations, or (ii) educational programs or activities, for a period of less than twenty-four hours on any day the property is so occupied, and on which no provisions are made for overnight occupancy by such children. The commissioner shall have the power to except by rule from this article and the sanitary code a place, facility or activity that is not within the intent of this definition, provided that no exception may be granted to a summer day camp which is dedicated to a single activity if that activity meets the criteria of a nonpassive recreational activity with significant risk of injury or is an educational program or activity.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social services law made by section one-a of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as section 12 of chapter 733 of the laws of 2023, takes effect. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law and the public health law, in relation to mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment by certain persons
Purpose
Increases the number of professionals and individuals who are considered by the state to be mandatory reporters of child abuse or maltreatment.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Amends section 413 of social service law to include college coaches, athletic directors, professors, graduate assistants, college administrators and college presidents and paid staff members of chil- dren's camps, summer day camps and travel camps to the list of mandatory reporters of child abuse and maltreatment.
Section 2: amends section 1392 of the public health law to include any indoor or outdoor activities involving one or more non-passive recre- ational activities or educational programs or activities.
Justification
The reports of alleged child abuse by Penn State's assistant football coach and seeming indifference and inaction from the school's adminis- tration are horrifying. Given that many colleges and universities offer athletic and academic programs to children, we need to make sure that a situation like what occurred at Penn State does not happen in New York.
The message of this bill is clear: if you're a college coach or college professional and you see or receive a report of child abuse, it is your responsibility and obligation to report it to law enforcement immediate- ly. Children and parents need to know that they will be protected and reports of abuse will be investigated and not brushed aside.
While it is unimaginable that this legislation is necessary, the alleged actions of a deviant sexual predator and those who did little to stop him opens our eyes to how necessary mandatory reporting of child abuse is, especially in immensely powerful organizations. Similar to the actions of the Penn State officials, if you witness child abuse and do not feel compelled to alert authorities you might fail a moral test, but as the law is currently written in New York State you may not be held accountable legally. There is no doubt that we must expand the child abuse reporting requirement as soon as possible.
Current law does not specify that faculty of colleges and universities are mandated reporters. This bill would establish that those involved in higher education and the possibility of coming in contact with children, should be considered mandatory reporters and adhere to the responsibil- ities of mandatory reporters as it is stated in law.
Legislative history
02/15/17: S.4462 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 06/06/17: S.4462 REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
01/03/18: S.4462 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
01/30/18: S. 4462 1ST REPORT CAL. 340
02/05/18: S.4462 2ND REPORT CAL.
02/06/18: S.4462 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
02/27/18: S.4462 AMENDED ON THIRD READING 4462A
06/20/18: S.4462A COMMITTED TO RULES
01/16/19: S.1840 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
01/08/20: S.1840 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
01/06/21: S.521 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
01/05/22: S.521 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
01/04/23: S.284 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
01/03/24: S.284 REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Fiscal implications
None to the State.
Effective date
On the 120th day after becoming law, with provisions.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.