S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6130--A
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
April 12, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. BOYLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Internet and Technology --
recommitted to the Committee on Internet and Technology in accordance
with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the New
York state online genealogy website search policy and relates to the
release of certain information
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 13 of section 995-b of the executive law is
amended by adding a new paragraph (e) to read as follows:
(E) (I) THE DNA SUBCOMMITTEE SHALL PROVIDE NONBINDING RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR A NEW YORK STATE ONLINE GENEALOGY WEBSITE SEARCH POLICY. THE ONLINE
GENEALOGY WEBSITE SEARCH POLICY SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO,
ASSESSING AND EVALUATING THE ACCURACY OF USING ONLINE GENEALOGY
WEBSITES, PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE PARAMETERS FOR USING ONLINE
GENEALOGY WEBSITES, CREATING PROCEDURES FOR WHEN ONLINE GENEALOGY
WEBSITES SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT BE USED, AND DETERMINING THE EXPECTED
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONDUCTING ONLINE GENEALOGY SEARCHES IN NEW YORK
STATE.
(II) FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF ITS PURPOSES, THE DNA SUBCOMMITTEE
SHALL BE AUTHORIZED AND EMPOWERED TO UNDERTAKE ANY STUDIES, INQUIRIES,
SURVEYS OR ANALYSES IT MAY DEEM RELEVANT THROUGH ITS OWN PERSONNEL OR IN
COOPERATION WITH OR BY AGREEMENT WITH ANY OTHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE AGEN-
CY.
(III) THE DNA SUBCOMMITTEE SHALL MEET AND HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS OR
PRIVATE MEETINGS AND SHALL HAVE ALL THE POWERS OF A LEGISLATIVE COMMIT-
TEE PURSUANT TO THE LEGISLATIVE LAW.
(IV) THE COMMISSION SHALL MAKE A REPORT OF THE DNA SUBCOMMITTEES FIND-
INGS, INCLUDING ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION AS IT MAY
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10616-02-2
S. 6130--A 2
DEEM NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE, TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE NO
LATER THAN DECEMBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO.
(V) FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH "ONLINE GENEALOGY SEARCH" SHALL
MEAN AN INTENTIONAL OR DELIBERATE SEARCH OF THE DNA DATABASE USING AN
ONLINE GENEALOGY WEBSITE CONDUCTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF POTENTIALLY IDEN-
TIFYING CLOSE BIOLOGICAL RELATIVES OF THE UNKNOWN FORENSIC SAMPLES ASSO-
CIATED WITH THE CRIME SCENE PROFILE.
§ 2. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 6 of section 995-c of the executive
law, as added by chapter 737 of the laws of 1994, is amended and a new
paragraph (d) is added to read as follows:
(c) after personally identifiable information has been removed by the
division, to an entity authorized by the division for the purpose of
creating or maintaining a population statistics database or for iden-
tification research and protocol development for forensic DNA analysis
or quality control purposes[.];
(D) (I) TO A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, OR TO A STATE OR LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
ONLINE GENEALOGY SEARCHING PURPOSES UPON SUBMISSION OF A DNA RECORD IN
CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTIGATION OF THE COMMISSION OF ONE OR MORE
CRIMES, PROVIDED THAT THERE EXISTS BETWEEN THE DIVISION AND SUCH AGENCY
A WRITTEN AGREEMENT GOVERNING THE USE AND DISSEMINATION OF SUCH DNA
RECORDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE;
(II) ONLINE GENEALOGY SEARCHES MAY BE CONDUCTED WHEN A LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY IS INVESTIGATING THE COMMISSION OF A VIOLENT FELONY OFFENSE AS
DEFINED IN SECTION 70.02 OF THE PENAL LAW, AND WHERE THERE IS NO MATCH
OF A SINGLE SOURCE DNA PROFILE FROM THE CRIME SCENE, AND WHERE ALL OTHER
LEADS HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED.
(III) THE COMMISSION, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DNA SUBCOMMITTEE, SHALL
CREATE A NEW YORK STATE ONLINE GENEALOGY WEBSITE SEARCH POLICY TO IMPLE-
MENT USING ONLINE GENEALOGY SEARCHING IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. THE DNA
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT, AS AUTHORIZED IN PARAGRAPH (E) OF SUBDIVISION THIR-
TEEN OF SECTION NINE HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE-B OF THIS ARTICLE, MAY PROVIDE
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEW YORK STATE ONLINE
GENEALOGY WEBSITE SEARCH POLICY.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth 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 and
completed on or before such effective date.