S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6549
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
March 11, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring the office
of children and family services to maintain a database of available
beds for runaway and/or homeless youth
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 532-e of the executive law, as amended by chapter
182 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows:
§ 532-e. Powers and duties of the office of children and family
services. The office of children and family services shall: (a) visit,
inspect and make periodic reports on the operation and adequacy of
approved runaway programs and transitional independent living support
programs;
(b) certify residential facilities providing care to runaway and/or
homeless youth, provided, however, that no certification shall be issued
or renewed until it can be demonstrated that a program operated pursuant
to this article has consistent with appropriate collective bargaining
agreements and applicable provisions of the civil service law, developed
and implemented a procedure for reviewing and evaluating the backgrounds
of and the information supplied by any person applying to be an employ-
ee, volunteer or consultant, which shall include but not be limited to
the following requirements: that the applicants set forth his or her
employment history, provide personal and employment references and sign
a sworn statement indicating whether the applicant, to the best of his
or her knowledge, has ever been convicted of a crime in this state or
any other jurisdiction;
(c) maintain a register of approved runaway programs, transitional
independent living support programs and runaway and homeless youth
service coordinators;
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09709-01-9
A. 6549 2
(d) submit to the governor and legislature an annual report detailing
the numbers and characteristics of runaway and otherwise homeless youth
throughout the state and their problems and service needs;
(e) develop and promulgate in consultation with county youth bureaus
and organizations or programs which have had past experience dealing
with runaway and homeless youth, regulations concerning the coordination
and integration of services available for runaway and otherwise homeless
youth and prohibiting the disclosure or transferal of any records
containing the identity of individual youth receiving services pursuant
to this section, without the written consent of the youth; [and]
(f) develop and promulgate regulations in consultation with the office
of temporary and disability assistance concerning the provision of
services by transitional independent living support programs consistent
with the provisions of this article[.];
(g) in conjunction with the commissioner of education, develop and
annually review a plan to ensure coordination and access to education
for homeless children, in accordance with the provisions of section
thirty-two hundred nine of the education law, and monitor compliance of
residential programs for runaway and homeless youth with such plan[.]
AND
(H) WORK WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS TO GATHER INFORMATION TO CREATE AND
MAINTAIN A PUBLICLY SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF AVAILABLE BEDS AT RESIDENTIAL
FACILITIES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR RUNAWAY AND/OR HOMELESS YOUTH ON THE
OFFICE'S WEBSITE AND ON A COMPANION PHONE APPLICATION. SUCH DATABASE
SHALL BE UPDATED IN REAL TIME AND SHALL PROVIDE AND BE SEARCHABLE BY THE
FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
(I) THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE FACILITY;
(II) THE NUMBER OF BEDS AVAILABLE AT THE FACILITY;
(III) THE AGE RANGE ALLOWABLE FOR THE AVAILABLE BED;
(IV) THE LENGTH OF TIME THE RUNAWAY AND/OR HOMELESS YOUTH MAY STAY AT
THE FACILITY; AND
(V) THE SERVICES OFFERED AT THE FACILITY.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.