The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2479
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 26, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. HEVESI, EPSTEIN, SIMON, McDONOUGH, CLARK -- read
   once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in  relation  to  the  adminis-
   tration of the statewide central register of child abuse and maltreat-
   ment

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 422 of the social
 services law, as amended by section 6 of subpart A of part JJ of chapter
 56 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
   (a) The central register shall be capable of receiving telephone calls
 alleging child abuse or  maltreatment  and  of  immediately  identifying
 prior  reports  of child abuse or maltreatment and capable of monitoring
 the provision of child protective service twenty-four hours a day, seven
 days a week. To effectuate this purpose, but subject to  the  provisions
 of  the  appropriate  local  plan  for the provision of child protective
 services, there shall be a single statewide telephone  number  that  all
 persons,  whether  mandated by the law or not, may use to make telephone
 calls alleging child abuse or  maltreatment  and  that  all  persons  so
 authorized  by this title may use for determining the existence of prior
 reports in order to evaluate the condition or circumstances of a  child.
 In  addition  to the single statewide telephone number, there shall be a
 special unlisted express telephone  number  and  a  telephone  facsimile
 number  for use only by persons mandated by law to make telephone calls,
 or to transmit telephone facsimile information on a form provided by the
 commissioner of children and family services, alleging  child  abuse  or
 maltreatment, and for use by all persons so authorized by this title for
 determining  the  existence  of  prior  reports in order to evaluate the
 condition or circumstances of a child. When any allegations contained in
 such telephone calls could reasonably constitute a report of child abuse
 or maltreatment, after utilizing protocols that  would  reduce  implicit
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03747-01-3

 A. 2479                             2
 
 bias  from  the  decision-making process, such allegations, THE CALLER'S
 NAME, THE CALLER'S CONTACT INFORMATION and any previous reports  to  the
 central  registry involving the subject of such report or children named
 in  such report, including any previous report containing allegations of
 child abuse and maltreatment alleged to have occurred in other  counties
 and  districts in New York state shall be immediately transmitted orally
 or electronically by the office of children and family services  to  the
 appropriate  local  child  protective  service  for  investigation.  The
 inability of the person calling the register  to  identify  the  alleged
 perpetrator shall, in no circumstance, constitute the sole cause for the
 register  to  reject such allegation or fail to transmit such allegation
 for investigation. If the records indicate a previous report  concerning
 a subject of the report, the child alleged to be abused or maltreated, a
 sibling,  other  children  in  the household, other persons named in the
 report or other  pertinent  information,  the  appropriate  local  child
 protective  service  shall  be  immediately notified of the fact. If the
 report involves either (i) an allegation of an abused child described in
 paragraph (i), (ii) or (iii) of subdivision (e) of section one  thousand
 twelve  of  the family court act or sexual abuse of a child or the death
 of a child or (ii) suspected maltreatment  which  alleges  any  physical
 harm  when the report is made by a person required to report pursuant to
 section four hundred thirteen of this title within  six  months  of  any
 other  two reports that were indicated, or may still be pending, involv-
 ing the same child, sibling, or other children in the household  or  the
 subject  of the report, the office of children and family services shall
 identify the report as such and note any prior reports when transmitting
 the report to the local child protective services for investigation.
   § 2. Subdivision 2 of section  422  of  the  social  services  law  is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
   (D)  A CALLER MAKING A REPORT OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE OR MALTREATMENT
 TO THE CENTRAL REGISTRY SHALL BE ASKED FOR THEIR NAME AND CONTACT INFOR-
 MATION. NO REPORT SHALL BE  TRANSMITTED  TO  A  LOCAL  CHILD  PROTECTIVE
 SERVICE  FOR INVESTIGATION UNLESS THE CALLER'S NAME AND CONTACT INFORMA-
 TION IS PROVIDED.
   § 3. Subdivision 7 of section 422  of  the  social  services  law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  434  of  the  laws  of 1989, is amended to read as
 follows:
   7. At any time, a subject of a report and other persons named  in  the
 report may receive, upon request, a copy of all information contained in
 the central register; provided, however, THAT THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND
 FAMILY  SERVICES  SHALL NOT RELEASE INFORMATION IDENTIFYING A PERSON WHO
 MADE A REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION FOUR HUNDRED FOURTEEN  OF  THIS  TITLE
 EXCEPT  WITH  THAT PERSON'S PERMISSION OR PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION (B) OF
 SECTION ONE THOUSAND THIRTY-EIGHT OF THE FAMILY COURT ACT OR PURSUANT TO
 SECTION FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR-A OF THIS TITLE; AND that  the  commis-
 sioner is authorized to prohibit the release of data that would identify
 [the  person  who made the report] PERSONS or who cooperated in a subse-
 quent investigation or the agency, institution, organization, program or
 other entity where such person is employed or with which he  OR  SHE  is
 associated,  which he OR SHE reasonably finds will be detrimental to the
 safety or interests of such person.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
 section  one  of this act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth
 day after it shall have become a law.