Bill Text: NY A10367 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires that attorneys be available to parents of minors and requires that all interactions with children by child protective services and the administration for children's services are videotaped.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-04 - referred to children and families [A10367 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A10367-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10367

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       May 4, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Children and Families

        AN ACT to amend the family court act,  in  relation  to  requiring  that
          attorneys be available to parents of minors involved in a family court
          proceeding, and to amend the social services law and the New York city
          charter,  in relation to requiring that all interactions with children
          by child protective services and  the  administration  for  children's
          services are videotaped

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Article 2 of the family court act is amended  by  adding  a
     2  new part 7 to read as follows:
     3                                   PART 7
     4                            ATTORNEYS FOR PARENTS
     5  Section 270. Attorneys for parents.
     6    § 270. Attorneys for parents. Parents of minors who are the subject of
     7  family  court  proceedings  or appeals in proceedings originating in the
     8  family court should be represented by counsel of their own choosing  or,
     9  if  a parent or parents so choose not to hire counsel on their own, then
    10  counsel shall be assigned to them. Such representation of counsel  shall
    11  be  available  or  assigned  to  parents throughout proceedings in their
    12  entirety, including, but not limited to, before a petition is filed,  at
    13  arraignment proceedings, and throughout the courthouse intake process.
    14    §  2. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 422-d
    15  to read as follows:
    16    § 422-d. Video monitoring of interaction with children. The office  of
    17  children  and family services shall ensure that all interactions between
    18  members of child protective services and the children they are  assigned
    19  to  investigate  or  work  with  shall be recorded on video, in order to
    20  promote  accountability  and  transparency  in  the  investigations  and
    21  proceedings conducted by child protective services.
    22    §  3.  The  New  York  city charter is amended by adding a new section
    23  619-a to read as follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16323-01-0
        A. 10367                            2

     1    § 619-a. Video monitoring of interaction with  children.  The  commis-
     2  sioner  shall  ensure  all  interactions between members of the adminis-
     3  tration for children's services and the children they  are  assigned  to
     4  investigate or work with shall be recorded on video, in order to promote
     5  accountability  and  transparency  in the investigations and proceedings
     6  conducted by the administration.
     7    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.