S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
4490
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
February 16, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAMOS -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law and the executive law, in
relation to the provision of criminal history background checks free
of charge to mentoring programs operated by not-for-profit corpo-
rations
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 390-e of the social services law,
as added by chapter 459 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as
follows:
4. Every mentoring program that chooses to apply for a criminal histo-
ry background check with the division of criminal justice services shall
obtain a set of fingerprints from each individual for whom a criminal
background check is to be completed and such other information as is
required by the office and the division of criminal justice services.
For each prospective employee or mentor for whom the mentoring program
completes a criminal background check, the mentoring program shall
provide the applicant with blank fingerprint cards and a description of
how the completed fingerprint card will be used upon submission to the
mentoring program. The mentoring program shall promptly transmit such
fingerprint card and the processing fee to the office; PROVIDED, HOWEV-
ER, THERE SHALL BE NO PROCESSING FEE FOR A CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK FOR
MENTORING PROGRAMS DESCRIBED IN SUBPARAGRAPHS (I) AND (III) OF PARAGRAPH
(C) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION. The office shall promptly
submit the fingerprint card and the processing fee, IF imposed pursuant
to subdivision eight-a of section eight hundred thirty-seven of the
executive law, to the division of criminal justice services for its full
search and retain processing.
§ 2. Subdivision 8-a of section 837 of the executive law, as amended
by chapter 561 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04792-02-3
A. 4490 2
8-a. Charge a fee when, pursuant to statute or the regulations of the
division, it conducts a search of its criminal history records and
returns a report thereon in connection with an application for employ-
ment or for a license or permit. The division shall adopt and may, from
time to time, amend a schedule of such fees which shall be in amounts
determined by the division to be reasonably related to the cost of
conducting such searches and returning reports thereon but, in no event,
shall any such fee exceed twenty-five dollars and an additional
surcharge of fifty dollars. The comptroller is hereby authorized to
deposit such fees into the general fund, provided, however, that the
monies received by the division of criminal justice services for payment
of the additional surcharge shall be deposited in equal amounts to the
general fund and to the fingerprint identification and technology
account. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the division shall not request
or accept any fee for searching its records and supplying a criminal
history report pursuant to section two hundred fifty-one-b of the gener-
al business law relating to participating in flight instruction at any
aeronautical facility, flight school or institution of higher learning,
OR WHEN THE DIVISION IS SUPPLYING A CRIMINAL HISTORY REPORT TO A MENTOR-
ING PROGRAM DESCRIBED IN SUBPARAGRAPHS (I) AND (III) OF PARAGRAPH (C) OF
SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY-E OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES
LAW.
§ 3. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 390-e of the social
services law, as added by chapter 459 of the laws of 2006, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) "Mentoring program" shall mean a formalized program, operated:
(I) by a corporation which has been incorporated pursuant to subpara-
graph five of paragraph (a) of section one hundred two of the not-for-
profit corporation law [or];
(II) pursuant to subparagraph four of paragraph (a) of section one
hundred two of the business corporation law[, or operated by]; OR
(III) BY an educational institution or school district, [that matches]
FOR THE PURPOSE OF MATCHING youth with adult volunteers [with the
purpose of providing] TO PROVIDE such youth with positive role models to
enhance their development.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
have become a law.