Senate Bill S2941

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S2941

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation
to requiring video cameras in facilities operated by the office for
people with developmental disabilities

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

To allow the Office for people with Developmental Disabilities to
place video cameras on the entrance and exit of all facilities.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1 - Amends the mental hygiene law to provide that, the Office
for People with Developmental Disabilities, including group homes,
residential homes, inpatient facilities, and all other facilities to
install video cameras at all entrances and exits; to ensure safety the
commissioner, in consultation with the State police, shall develop a
system for maintaining such recorded images.

Section 2 - This act shall take effect on the 180th day after it shall
have become law.

 JUSTIFICATION :

This act shall informally be known as "Paula's Law" for Paula Liblick
              

a 61 year old OPWDD resident in a group home in the Hudson Valley.
Ms. Liblick was assaulted and raped by a intruder to the home but
since no mechanism existed to catalogue visitors to the home, no
suspects were identified except for the two longterm staff at the
home. Also, recently the New York Times ran a series of stories
entitled "At State Run Homes, Abuse and Impunity" which highlighted
many of the problems in the state run homes, facilities and programs.

We have cameras recording information on visitors to many public
buildings and institutions in an effort to protect the residents and
property at these sites. So, certainly, the residents and participants
of the state run OPWDD programs, who are society's most vulnerable,
deserve to be protected in the same manner

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

S. 3623 of the 2015/16 Session
S. 2000a of the 2013/14 Session
S. 4816 of the 2011/12 Session

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This bill will come into effect the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become law.