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.