S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  8673

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 12, 2016
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M.  of A. THIELE, RAMOS -- read once and referred to the
  Committee on Social Services

AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  requiring  the
  office  of  temporary  and  disability  assistance  to ensure that all
  recipients of public assistance reside in housing accommodations  that
  are  in  compliance with all applicable building codes, ordinances and
  regulations of the municipality in which such housing accommodation is
  located

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivisions (g), (h) and (i) of section 17 of the social
services law, subdivision (g) as added by chapter 280  of  the  laws  of
2002,  subdivision  (i)  as  amended by chapter 110 of the laws of 1971,
subdivision (h) as added and subdivision (i) as relettered by section  1
of  part  K-3  of chapter 57 of the laws of 2007, are amended to read as
follows:
  (g) require participation of  all  employees  of  a  child  protective
service  in a training course which has been developed by the office for
the prevention of domestic violence in conjunction with  the  office  of
children  and family services whose purpose is to develop an understand-
ing of the dynamics of domestic violence and  its  connection  to  child
abuse and neglect. Such course shall:
  (i) pay special attention to the need to screen for domestic violence;
  (ii)  place emphasis on the psychological harm experienced by children
whose environment is  impacted  by  familial  violence  and  accordingly
explore avenues to keep such children with the non-abusive parent rather
than  placing  them  in foster care further traumatizing both the victim
and the children;
  (iii) provide instruction regarding the scope of  legal  remedies  for
the abused parent;
  (iv)  identify  obstacles  that prevent individuals from leaving their
batterers and examine safety options  and  services  available  for  the
victim;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD10673-01-5
              

A. 8673                             2

  (v)  provide  information  pertaining  to  the  unique barriers facing
certain immigrant women and the  options  available  under  the  federal
Violence Against Women Act;
  (vi)  analyze procedures available to sanction and educate the abusing
partner; and
  (vii) emphasize the need for the system to hold  the  abusing  partner
responsible by appropriate referrals to law enforcement[.];
  (h)  make  available  on its website all award allocations for request
for proposals issued by the office of children and family services  upon
release  of  such awards. Such information shall also include all organ-
izations requesting funding and the amounts requested for  each  request
for  proposal.  The  office  of  children  and  family services may also
include any other information related to  each  program  that  it  deems
appropriate[.];
  (i)  ENSURE  THAT  ALL  RECIPIENTS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE LOCATED WITHIN
SUFFOLK COUNTY RESIDE IN HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE  IN  COMPLIANCE
WITH  ALL  APPLICABLE  BUILDING CODES, ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS OF THE
MUNICIPALITY IN WHICH THE HOUSING  ACCOMMODATION  IS  LOCATED  AND  UPON
DISCOVERY  THAT  SUCH HOUSING ACCOMMODATION IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE, WITHIN
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF SUCH DISCOVERY, CAUSE SUCH RECIPIENTS TO BE  HOUSED
IN  EMERGENCY  HOUSING  UNTIL  SUCH TIME AS THE INITIAL HOUSING ACCOMMO-
DATION IN WHICH SUCH RECIPIENT OR RECIPIENTS  RESIDED  IS  BROUGHT  INTO
COMPLIANCE  WITH  ALL  APPLICABLE  BUILDING  CODES, ORDINANCES AND REGU-
LATIONS OF THE MUNICIPALITY  IN  WHICH  SUCH  HOUSING  ACCOMMODATION  IS
LOCATED  OR UNTIL A SUITABLE PERMANENT HOUSING ACCOMMODATION IS LOCATED,
WHICHEVER OCCURS EARLIER; AND
  (J) exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as may be
imposed by law.
  S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
before such effective date.