This bill allows minors under 18 to participate in certain court arraignments via electronic appearance instead of appearing in person. It permits this under specific conditions, such as when the minor is hospitalized, facing extreme weather, requesting the option with a guarantee of non-monetary release, or when no Youth Part judge is available. For electronic appearances involving minors, the court must determine that the virtual format serves the child's best interests and that physical attendance would unnecessarily disrupt important activities like school or medical treatment. The law also requires that all parties, including the prosecutor and the minor's legal advisor, consent to the electronic process on the record.
Establishes the crimes of benefiting from a labor trafficking venture, benefiting from a sex trafficking venture and aggravated benefiting from a sex trafficking venture; establishes civil action for victims of benefiting from a trafficking venture; revives such actions otherwise barred by the existing statute of limitations, grants trial preference to such actions; directs the chief administrator of the courts to promulgate rules for the timely adjudication of certain revived actions.
Relates to the rights of sexual assault survivors during the investigative process; establishes a task force to study and assess sexual assault survivors' rights and services.
Enacts the "cannabis supply chain integrity and anti-inversion act"; prohibits any act or omission involving illicit cannabis; provides penalties for such cannabis inversion.
Requires that curricula and educational programs provide incarcerated individuals the opportunity to earn educational or vocational credits which shall be transferable to an educational institution upon the release of the incarcerated individual.
Directs the commissioner of corrections and community supervision, in consultation with the commissioner of mental health, to make mental health counseling available to all correction officers and civilian staff in correctional facilities.
Requires screening incarcerated individuals for eligibility for public benefits prior to release and assistance in applying for such programs; requires officials to seek waivers from the USDA for eligibility for such program.
This bill (S 3974) amends New York State correction law to ensure incarcerated individuals do not lose earned time allowances if they fail to complete assigned work or treatment programs due to circumstances beyond their control (e.g., medical issues or facility disruptions). It specifically revises sections of the correction law to clarify that time credits - earned through good behavior, program participation, or educational/vocational achievements - must not be withheld for such unavoidable circumstances. The policy directly affects incarcerated people in state facilities who qualify for time reductions under existing programs. The change aligns with current provisions but explicitly prevents punitive withholding of time allowances for factors outside an individual’s control.
This bill makes permanent two specific agreements between the Oneida Indian Nation and Oneida and Madison counties regarding the detention of adults remanded by the tribal court. By amending state law, the legislation ratifies and validates these contracts, which allow incarcerated individuals to be held in county correctional facilities under tribal jurisdiction. The measure ensures that the rights and responsibilities outlined in the deals remain fully enforceable for the parties involved. While the agreements were originally set to expire in 2027 and 2026 respectively, this action confirms their status and extends their validity through 2033.
This bill allows courts to award punitive damages against the estate of a deceased person accused of sexual abuse, assault, misconduct, or sex trafficking of minors or adults. It removes the barrier of the defendant's death, enabling victims to pursue punitive damages against the personal representative of the estate in civil lawsuits. The standard for proving punitive damages under this law is a "preponderance of the evidence," and the bill explicitly states that such claims cannot be limited or ended by the defendant's death. It applies to all pending and future cases filed on or after the effective date.
