Senate Bill S9857

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9857

SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law and the executive law, in relation to
providing notice to individuals when their address confidentiality time
period is expiring

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would require the board of elections to provide a written
notice to victims no later than six months prior to the expiration of
the four-year period to inform them of the upcoming expiration and the
opportunity to reapply for the Address Confidentiality Program.

This bill would ensure that victims of domestic violence who receive
voter registration confidentiality or participate in the Address Confi-
dentiality Program are provided advance written notice before their
protections expire, so they have the opportunity to renew those
protections and avoid the unintended disclosure of their personal infor-
mation.

              

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends § 5-508 of the election law to require boards of
elections to provide written notice to a voter whose voter registration
records have been made confidential due to domestic violence. The notice
must be sent no later than six months before the expiration of the four-
year confidentiality period, informing the individual that the
protection will expire and that they may submit a new application to
continue the confidentiality of their voter registration records.

Section 2 amends § 108 of the executive law, which governs the Address
Confidentiality Program (ACP), to require the Secretary of State to
promulgate rules requiring that participants in the program receive
written notice at least six months prior to the expiration of their
four-year certification period, advising them of the upcoming expiration
and the opportunity to reapply.

Section 3 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York law provides important protections for victims of domestic
violence by allowing them to keep their voter registration records
confidential and to participate in the Address Confidentiality Program
(ACP), which protects their residential address from public disclosure.
These protections help prevent abusers from locating victims through
publicly available records.

Under current law, both protections last for four years, after which the
victim must submit a new application to maintain the confidentiality
protections. However, the statutes do not currently require that victims
be notified when their protections are about to expire. As a result,
individuals may unknowingly lose these safeguards if they fail to reap-
ply in time.


This bill addresses that gap by requiring that participants be provided
advance written notice-no later than six months before expiration-so
that they have sufficient time to reapply and maintain their
protections. By mandating a written notice, it gives survivors of domes-
tic violence an important reminder regarding the expiration of their
participation in the program, which can easily be forgotten after a four
year period.

This bill would help ensure the safety of these survivors of domestic
violence from those who may do harm to them if they were provided access
to their information. By strengthening the administrative procedures
surrounding these programs, this legislation helps ensure that New
York's confidentiality protections for victims of domestic violence
remain effective and accessible.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have
become a law.