Criminal Justice (Courts)

This bill makes it a class B misdemeanor for public officers or employees to intentionally disclose sealed legal records to unauthorized people, punishable by fines up to $1,000 (no jail time). It applies to records sealed under specific laws, such as criminal procedure or family court files, and directly affects government employees handling such sensitive information. Key exceptions include allowing the person whose record is sealed to share it themselves, officers discussing events without confirming sealed details, or disclosures made in good faith to entitled individuals. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.

Enacts the "Lydia Peikon Cotz act"; provides domestic violence victims and crime victims with supervision while taking depositions; directs the court to provide a secure location within the courthouse, and a court officer, for such persons taking depositions.

Relates to unsealing unfounded child abuse and maltreatment reports upon a court order finding that justice requires the information in such reports is necessary for the determination of charges being investigated by a grand jury or for the purposes of prosecuting a violation of the penal law.

This bill allows eligible youth who were not designated as youthful offenders by a court (but met the criteria for that status) to apply for conviction sealing. It expands sealing eligibility to include most offenses, excluding only serious felonies (like class A-I/A-II) and certain sex offenses, though it adds a pathway for armed felony convictions if judges find mitigating circumstances or minor involvement. Youth previously denied sealing under this process can reapply. The change directly affects young people seeking to clear certain criminal records, with specific court determinations required for some cases.

Provides legal assistance to youth ordered by the court into the custody of the office of children and family services and placed or committed to a state operated juvenile detention center.

This bill restricts where certain sex offenders can live. It prohibits Level 3 sex offenders (with victims under 18) from residing within school grounds as defined by law, and bans all Level 2 and 3 offenders from living within a quarter mile of a victim's workplace or residence (or a deceased victim's former home if family members still live there). These restrictions apply to offenders under supervision or probation and must be included in court release conditions. The law aims to limit offender proximity to schools and victims, with guidelines requiring local probation departments to consider factors like neighborhood concentration of offenders and access to treatment programs. It directly affects sex offenders designated Level 2 or 3 under New York's registration system.

This bill sets a 48-hour deadline for courts to order HIV testing in criminal cases where it's required. It mandates that the test must be performed within 48 hours of the court filing the accusatory instrument, and if not completed on time, the court must order a new test. Defendants must also be advised about HIV testing and treatment options per health department guidelines. The bill directly affects defendants in criminal cases where HIV testing is court-ordered, focusing on timely medical procedures.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state public protection and general government budget for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year; extends provisions of law relating to criminal justice including the psychological testing of candidates, expanding the geographic area of employment of certain police officers, prisoner furloughs in certain cases and the crime of absconding therefrom, correctional facilities, incarcerated individual work release, furlough and leave, certain provisions which impact upon expenditure of certain appropriations made by chapter 50 of the laws of 1994 enacting the state operations budget, taxes, surcharges, fees and funding, prison and jail housing and alternatives to detention and incarceration programs, taxes, expiration of the mandatory surcharge and victim assistance fee, the ignition interlock device program, the merit provisions, prisoner litigation reform and the incarcerated individual filing fee provisions of the civil practice law and rules and general filing fee provision and incarcerated individual property claims exhaustion requirement of the court of claims act of such chapter, the family protection and domestic violence intervention act of 1994, certain provisions requiring the arrest of certain persons engaged in family violence, the use of closed-circuit television and other protective measures for certain child witnesses, the counties, the interstate compact for adult offender supervision, limiting the closing of certain correctional facilities, the custody by the department of correctional services of incarcerated individual serving definite sentences, custody of federal prisoners, the closing of certain correctional facilities, military funds of the organized militia, providing for community treatment facilities and establishing the crime of absconding from the community treatment facility; relates to the pre-criminal proceeding settlements in the city of New York (Part A); expands eligibility for who may hold correction and police officer positions (Part C); expands support services for victims of financial abuse and homicide (Part G); expands protections and services to survivors of sexual assault for itemized charges related to exams for such survivors (Part H); improves access to public assistance for survivors of gender-based violence; repeals provisions relating thereto (Part I); requires certain employers to implement a model gender-based violence and the workplace policy (Part J); prohibits artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material (Part L); extends provisions of law relating to liquidator's permits and temporary retail permits (Part Q); increases the bond limit for the New York city transitional finance authority (Part R); modifies the industrial and commercial abatement program (Part S); extends the civil service examination fee waiver for certain persons (Part V); provides for an optional payment election for certain employees (Part W); authorizes construction manager as constructor contracts as an alternative delivery method for authorized projects; defines construction manager as constructor contracts (Part Y); allows certain residents or fellows to render medical care in cases of workers' compensation injuries (Part AA); provides for temporary payment of compensation for medical treatment and care, including prescription drugs (Part CC); establishes a body-worn cameras program within the department of corrections and community supervision to increase accountability (Part GG); relates to the functions, powers and duties of the state commission on correction (Part HH); extends the time the New York State community commission on reparations remedies has to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the legislature and the governor (Part JJ); establishes the "Oak Orchard wastewater project design-build act" for the wastewater treatment plant in the town of Clay, county of Onondaga (Part KK); increases the amount of allowance that trial and grand jurors are entitled to in each court of the unified court system (Part LL); establishes the New York state office of gun violence prevention (Part MM); provides for ten additional judges for the New York city civil court and five additional judges for the court of claims (Part NN); relates to public campaign financing; changes certain thresholds and procedures; repeals certain provisions of chapter 58 of 2020 relating to severability (Part OO); delays implementing certain restrictions on outside earned income by members of the legislature until January 1, 2027 (Part PP); requires that candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are designated jointly; provides that ballots shall reflect that that offices of governor and lieutenant governor are voted for jointly (Part QQ); relates to civil enforcement actions initiated by the attorney-general (Part RR); restores 20 year service retirement for New York city police officers (Part SS); establishes a twenty-five year retirement plan for firefighters employed by the division of military and naval affairs (Part TT); removes eligibility or receipt of primary social security disability benefits as a condition for ordinary disability retirement for New York city enhanced plan members in active service who are not eligible for a normal retirement benefit and have completed five years or more of service (Part UU); extends the retiree earnings limitation waiver for school employees until June 30, 2027 (Part VV); authorizes courts to dispense with the personal appearance of a party or the defendant and conduct such appearance electronically; repeals provisions relating to appearances in court; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof (Part WW); relates to promotions of police detectives, sergeants, and lieutenants for retirement purposes (Part XX); establishes alternative twenty and twenty-five year plans for certain law enforcement members or officers; provides for accidental disability retirement allowance for certain members (Part YY); lowers the minimum hiring age for correction officers to eighteen (Part ZZ); extends provisions related to the operation and administration of the legislature (Part AAA); relates to authorizing the department of corrections and community supervision to close up to three correctional facilities in the 2025--2026 state fiscal year; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof (Part BBB).

This bill creates a new legal framework for anti-stalking orders to protect victims from repeated, severe harassment. It directly affects stalking victims (petitioners) and alleged stalkers (respondents) by establishing specific court procedures for obtaining protective orders. Key provisions require courts to issue orders prohibiting contact (including digital communication), surveillance, remote control of connected devices (like smart home systems), and proximity to victims' homes or workplaces. The law defines "stalking" broadly to include numerous offenses under existing penal codes, such as harassment, assault, and unauthorized sharing of intimate images. These orders can be issued quickly without notice for immediate threats, with final orders requiring a court hearing.

This bill allows county probation departments to request temporary orders of protection during the juvenile adjustment process. It amends the family court law to explicitly include probation departments as eligible applicants for these orders, alongside other entities like the presentment agency. The change applies specifically when a juvenile is in custody under certain family court procedures or during probation adjustment under state rules. This update streamlines access to protective orders for youth involved in juvenile justice cases handled by probation.