S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
860
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
(PREFILED)
January 9, 2013
___________
Introduced by Sen. DIAZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to requiring an
advisement by the court regarding the possible consequences to an
alien of the acceptance of a plea of guilty to a crime under state law
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Legislative finding and declaration. The legislature
finds and declares that in many instances involving an individual who is
not a citizen of the United States charged with an offense punishable as
a crime under state law, a plea of guilty is entered without the defend-
ant knowing that a conviction of such offense is grounds for deporta-
tion, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of natur-
alization pursuant to the laws of the United States. Therefore, it is
the intent of the legislature by enacting this act to promote fairness
to such accused individuals by requiring in such cases that acceptance
of a guilty plea be preceded by an appropriate warning of the special
consequences for such a defendant which may result from the plea. It is
also the intent of the legislature that the court in such cases shall
grant the defendant a reasonable amount of time to negotiate with the
prosecutor in the event the defendant or the defendant's counsel was
unaware of the possibility of deportation, exclusion from admission to
the United States, or denial of naturalization as a result of
conviction. It is further the intent of the legislature that at the time
of the plea no defendant shall be required to disclose his or her legal
status to the court.
S 2. Subdivision 4 of section 170.10 of the criminal procedure law is
amended by adding two new paragraphs (f) and (g) to read as follows:
(F) WHERE THE ACCUSATORY INSTRUMENT IS AN INFORMATION, A PROSECUTOR'S
INFORMATION OR A MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINT, BEFORE ACCEPTING A PLEA OF GUIL-
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00684-01-3
S. 860 2
TY TO ANY OFFENSE PUNISHABLE AS A CRIME UNDER STATE LAW, THE COURT SHALL
ADDRESS THE DEFENDANT PERSONALLY IN OPEN COURT, ON THE RECORD, UNDER
OATH, INFORMING HIM OR HER OF AND DETERMINING THAT HE OR SHE UNDERSTANDS
THE FOLLOWING: "IF YOU ARE NOT A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, YOU ARE
HEREBY ADVISED THAT ACCEPTANCE BY THE COURT OF A PLEA OF GUILTY OR
CONVICTION OF THE CRIME FOR WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN CHARGED MAY RESULT IN
YOUR DEPORTATION, EXCLUSION FROM ADMISSION TO THE UNITED STATES, OR
DENIAL OF NATURALIZATION PURSUANT TO THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES."
ABSENT A RECORD THAT THE COURT PROVIDED THE ADVISEMENT REQUIRED BY THIS
PARAGRAPH, THE DEFENDANT SHALL BE PRESUMED NOT TO HAVE RECEIVED THE
REQUIRED ADVISEMENT.
(G) UPON REQUEST, THE COURT SHALL ALLOW THE DEFENDANT ADDITIONAL TIME
TO CONSIDER THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE PLEA IN LIGHT OF THE ADVISEMENT
AS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (F) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
S 3. Section 180.10 of the criminal procedure law is amended by adding
a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
7. BEFORE ACCEPTING A PLEA OF GUILTY TO ANY OFFENSE PUNISHABLE AS A
CRIME UNDER STATE LAW, THE COURT SHALL ADDRESS THE DEFENDANT PERSONALLY
IN OPEN COURT, ON THE RECORD, UNDER OATH, INFORMING HIM OR HER OF AND
DETERMINING THAT HE OR SHE UNDERSTANDS THE FOLLOWING: "IF YOU ARE NOT A
CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, YOU ARE HEREBY ADVISED THAT ACCEPTANCE BY
THE COURT OF A PLEA OF GUILTY OR CONVICTION OF THE CRIME FOR WHICH YOU
HAVE BEEN CHARGED MAY RESULT IN YOUR DEPORTATION, EXCLUSION FROM ADMIS-
SION TO THE UNITED STATES, OR DENIAL OF NATURALIZATION PURSUANT TO THE
LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES." ABSENT A RECORD THAT THE COURT PROVIDED THE
ADVISEMENT REQUIRED BY THIS SUBDIVISION, THE DEFENDANT SHALL BE PRESUMED
NOT TO HAVE RECEIVED THE REQUIRED ADVISEMENT.
UPON REQUEST, THE COURT SHALL ALLOW THE DEFENDANT ADDITIONAL TIME TO
CONSIDER THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE PLEA IN LIGHT OF THE ADVISEMENT AS
DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (F) OF SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTION 170.10 OF THIS
TITLE.
S 4. Section 210.15 of the criminal procedure law is amended by adding
a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. UPON ARRAIGNMENT ON AN INDICTMENT, AND PRIOR TO ACCEPTANCE OF A
PLEA OF GUILTY TO ANY CRIME UNDER STATE LAW, THE DEFENDANT SHALL, IN
ADDITION TO ANY OTHER WARNING REQUIRED BY LAW, BE ENTITLED TO SUBSTAN-
TIALLY THE FOLLOWING ADVISEMENT TO BE ORALLY ADMINISTERED BY THE COURT
AND PLACED UPON THE RECORD: "IF YOU ARE NOT A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED
STATES, YOU ARE HEREBY ADVISED THAT ACCEPTANCE BY THE COURT OF A PLEA OF
GUILTY OR CONVICTION OF THE CRIME FOR WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN CHARGED MAY
RESULT IN YOUR DEPORTATION, EXCLUSION FROM ADMISSION TO THE UNITED
STATES, OR DENIAL OF NATURALIZATION PURSUANT TO THE LAWS OF THE UNITED
STATES." ABSENT A RECORD THAT THE COURT PROVIDED THE ADVISEMENT
REQUIRED BY THIS SUBDIVISION, THE DEFENDANT SHALL BE PRESUMED NOT TO
HAVE RECEIVED THE REQUIRED ADVISEMENT. IF THE COURT FAILS TO SO ADVISE
THE DEFENDANT, AND HE OR SHE LATER AT ANY TIME SHOWS THAT HIS OR HER
PLEA AND CONVICTION MAY HAVE OR HAS HAD ONE OF THE ENUMERATED CONSE-
QUENCES, EVEN IF THE DEFENDANT HAS ALREADY BEEN DEPORTED FROM THE UNITED
STATES, THE COURT, ON THE DEFENDANT'S MOTION, SHALL VACATE THE JUDGMENT
AND PERMIT THE DEFENDANT TO WITHDRAW THE PLEA OF GUILTY OR ADMISSION OR
SUFFICIENT FACTS, AND ENTER A PLEA OF NOT GUILTY. ABSENT AN OFFICIAL
RECORD IN THE COURT FILE THAT THE COURT PROVIDED THE ADVISEMENT AS
PRESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION, THE DEFENDANT SHALL BE PRESUMED NOT TO HAVE
RECEIVED ADVISEMENT. AN ADVISEMENT PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY PROVIDED
TO THE DEFENDANT DURING ANOTHER PLEA COLLOQUY SHALL NOT SATISFY THE
ADVISEMENT REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION, NOR SHALL IT BE USED TO PRESUME THE
S. 860 3
DEFENDANT UNDERSTOOD THE PLEA OF GUILTY, OR ADMISSION TO SUFFICIENT
FACTS HE OR SHE SEEKS TO VACATE AND WOULD HAVE THE CONSEQUENCE OF DEPOR-
TATION, REMOVAL, EXCLUSION FROM ADMISSION TO THE UNITED STATES OR DENIAL
OF NATURALIZATION. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS
PREVENTING THE COURT, IN THE SOUND EXERCISE OF ITS DISCRETION FROM
SETTING ASIDE THE JUDGMENT OF CONVICTION AND PERMITTING THE DEFENDANT TO
WITHDRAW HIS OR HER PLEA. THE DEFENDANT SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED AT ANY
TIME DURING THE PROCEEDINGS OR AT THE TIME OF THE PLEA TO DISCLOSE TO
THE COURT HIS OR HER LEGAL STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES.
S 5. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law.