Bill Text: NY S05572 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Relates to the administration of the statewide central register of child abuse; requires callers making reports of suspected child abuse or maltreatment to provide their name and contact information.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES [S05572 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S05572-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          5572
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                       May 7, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  MONTGOMERY  -- 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, in  relation  to  the  adminis-
          tration of the statewide central register of child abuse and maltreat-
          ment
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 422 of the social
     2  services law, as amended by chapter 357 of the laws of 2014, is  amended
     3  to read as follows:
     4    (a) The central register shall be capable of receiving telephone calls
     5  alleging  child  abuse  or  maltreatment  and of immediately identifying
     6  prior reports of child abuse or maltreatment and capable  of  monitoring
     7  the provision of child protective service twenty-four hours a day, seven
     8  days  a  week. To effectuate this purpose, but subject to the provisions
     9  of the appropriate local plan for  the  provision  of  child  protective
    10  services,  there  shall  be a single statewide telephone number that all
    11  persons, whether mandated by the law or not, may use to  make  telephone
    12  calls  alleging  child  abuse  or  maltreatment  and that all persons so
    13  authorized by this title may use for determining the existence of  prior
    14  reports  in order to evaluate the condition or circumstances of a child.
    15  In addition to the single statewide telephone number, there shall  be  a
    16  special  unlisted  express  telephone  number  and a telephone facsimile
    17  number for use only by persons mandated by law to make telephone  calls,
    18  or to transmit telephone facsimile information on a form provided by the
    19  commissioner  of  children  and family services, alleging child abuse or
    20  maltreatment, and for use by all persons so authorized by this title for
    21  determining the existence of prior reports  in  order  to  evaluate  the
    22  condition or circumstances of a child. When any allegations contained in
    23  such telephone calls could reasonably constitute a report of child abuse
    24  or  maltreatment,  such allegations, the caller's name, contact informa-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11541-01-9
        S. 5572                             2
     1  tion, and any previous reports to the  central  registry  involving  the
     2  subject  of  such report or children named in such report, including any
     3  previous report containing allegations of child abuse  and  maltreatment
     4  alleged  to  have  occurred  in other counties and districts in New York
     5  state shall be immediately transmitted orally or electronically  by  the
     6  office  of  children  and family services to the appropriate local child
     7  protective service for investigation. The inability of the person  call-
     8  ing  the  register  to  identify  the  alleged  perpetrator shall, in no
     9  circumstance, constitute the sole cause for the register to reject  such
    10  allegation or fail to transmit such allegation for investigation. If the
    11  records  indicate  a previous report concerning a subject of the report,
    12  the child alleged to be abused or maltreated, a sibling, other  children
    13  in  the  household, other persons named in the report or other pertinent
    14  information, the appropriate local child  protective  service  shall  be
    15  immediately  notified  of the fact. If the report involves either (i) an
    16  allegation of an abused child described in paragraph (i), (ii) or  (iii)
    17  of  subdivision  (e)  of section one thousand twelve of the family court
    18  act or sexual abuse of a child or the death of a child or (ii) suspected
    19  maltreatment which alleges any physical harm when the report is made  by
    20  a person required to report pursuant to section four hundred thirteen of
    21  this  title  within  six months of any other two reports that were indi-
    22  cated, or may still be pending, involving the same  child,  sibling,  or
    23  other children in the household or the subject of the report, the office
    24  of  children  and  family services shall identify the report as such and
    25  note any prior reports when transmitting the report to the  local  child
    26  protective services for investigation.
    27    §  2.  Subdivision  2  of  section  422  of the social services law is
    28  amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
    29    (d) Callers making reports of suspected child abuse or maltreatment to
    30  the central register shall be asked for their name and contact  informa-
    31  tion.  No  report  shall  be accepted by the central register unless the
    32  caller's name and contact information is provided.
    33    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
    34  section  one  of this act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth
    35  day after it shall have become a law.