S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1420
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 30, 2009
___________
Introduced by Sen. MAZIARZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the executive law, the tax law and the state finance
law, in relation to missing children and persons
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 837-m of the executive law, as added by chapter 579
of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
S 837-m. Reporting duties of law enforcement departments with respect
to missing children AND PERSONS. The chief of every police department,
each county sheriff and the superintendent of state police shall report,
at least semi-annually, to the division with respect to specified cases
of missing children AND PERSONS that are closed. Such reports shall be
in the form and manner prescribed by the division and shall contain such
information as the division deems necessary including, but not limited
to, information regarding recovered children AND PERSONS who were
arrested, children AND PERSONS who were the victims of criminal activity
or exploitation, and children AND PERSONS who were found deceased and
information regarding the alleged abductor or killer of such children
AND PERSONS.
S 2. Section 628 of the tax law, as added by chapter 579 of the laws
of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
S 628. Gift for missing and exploited children AND PERSONS clearing-
house fund. Effective for any tax year commencing on or after January
first, nineteen hundred ninety-seven, an individual in any taxable year
may elect to contribute to the missing and exploited children AND
PERSONS clearinghouse fund. Such contribution shall be in any whole
dollar amount and shall not reduce the amount of state tax owed by such
individual. The commissioner shall include space on the personal income
tax return form to enable a taxpayer to make such contribution.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all revenues collected
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05824-01-9
S. 1420 2
pursuant to this section shall be paid to the missing and exploited
children AND PERSONS clearinghouse fund established pursuant to and used
only for those purposes enumerated in section ninety-two-w of the state
finance law.
S 3. Section 92-w of the state finance law, as added by chapter 530 of
the laws of 1994, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 579 of the laws of
1997, is amended to read as follows:
S 92-w. Missing and exploited children AND PERSONS clearinghouse fund.
1. A special fund to be known as the "missing and exploited children AND
PERSONS clearinghouse fund" is hereby established in the custody of the
state comptroller and the commissioner of taxation and finance.
2. The fund shall consist of all monies transferred to such fund
pursuant to law, all monies required by any provision of law to be paid
into or credited to the fund, all moneys from gifts pursuant to section
six hundred twenty-eight of the tax law and any interest earnings which
may accrue from the investment of monies in the fund. Nothing contained
herein shall prevent the state from receiving grants, gifts or bequests
for the purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing
them into the fund according to law.
3. Monies of the fund, when allocated, shall be available to the divi-
sion of criminal justice services for the enhancement of public informa-
tion and prevention education efforts including production of print,
video and radio advertising materials, brochures, pamphlets and outdoor
advertising, or for any other activity or purpose that will aid in the
prevention of the exploitation of children AND PERSONS or in the recov-
ery of missing and exploited children AND PERSONS, as deemed necessary
by the missing and exploited children AND PERSONS clearinghouse created
pursuant to section eight hundred thirty-seven-f of the executive law.
4. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of
the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the director of
the division of criminal justice services.
S 4. Section 837-f of the executive law, as added by chapter 880 of
the laws of 1986, subdivision 10-a as added by chapter 600 of the laws
of 1997, subdivision 12 as amended by chapter 579 of the laws of 1997,
subdivision 14 as amended by chapter 381 of the laws of 2004 and para-
graph (c) of subdivision 14 as amended by chapter 348 of the laws of
2005, is amended to read as follows:
S 837-f. Missing and exploited children AND PERSONS clearinghouse.
There is hereby established within the division a missing and exploited
children AND PERSONS clearinghouse to provide a comprehensive and coor-
dinated approach to the tragic problems of missing and exploited chil-
dren AND PERSONS. In addition to the activities of the statewide
central register for missing children AND PERSONS, the commissioner
shall be authorized to:
1. Plan and implement programs to ensure the most effective use of
federal, state and local resources in the investigation of missing and
exploited children AND PERSONS;
2. Exchange information and resources with other states, and within
New York state, concerning missing and exploited children AND PERSONS;
3. Establish a case data base which will include nonidentifying infor-
mation on reported children AND PERSONS and facts developed in the phas-
es of a search, and analyze such data for the purposes of: assisting law
enforcement in their current investigations of missing and exploited
children AND PERSONS, developing prevention programs and increasing
understanding of the nature and extent of the problem; and share the
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data and analysis on a regular basis with the National Center for Miss-
ing and Exploited Children;
4. Disseminate a directory of resources to assist in the locating of
missing children AND PERSONS;
5. Cooperate with public and private schools and organizations to
develop education and prevention programs concerning child safety for
communities, parents and children;
6. Provide assistance in returning recovered children AND PERSONS who
are located out-of-state;
7. By January first, [nineteen hundred eighty-seven] TWO THOUSAND TEN
arrange for the development of a curriculum for the training of law
enforcement personnel investigating cases involving missing and
exploited children AND PERSONS;
8. Assist federal, state and local agencies in the investigation of
cases involving missing and exploited children AND PERSONS;
9. Utilize available resources to duplicate photographs and posters of
children AND PERSONS reported as missing by police and with consent of
parents, guardians or others legally responsible, disseminate this
information throughout the state;
10. Beginning on January first, nineteen hundred eighty-seven, dissem-
inate, on a regular basis, a bulletin containing information on children
in the missing children's register to the state education department
which shall then forward such bulletin to every public and private
school where parents, guardians or others legally responsible for such
children have given consent;
10-a. (a) By November first, [nineteen hundred ninety-seven] TWO THOU-
SAND TEN prescribe general guidelines to enable the state legislature
and state agencies to assist in the location and recovery of missing
children AND PERSONS. The guidelines shall provide information relating
to:
(i) the form and manner in which materials and information pertaining
to missing children AND PERSONS including but not limited to biograph-
ical data and pictures, sketches or other likenesses may be included in
stationery, newsletters and other written or electronic printings;
(ii) appropriate sources from which such materials and information may
be obtained;
(iii) the procedures by which such materials and information may be
obtained; and
(iv) any other matter the clearinghouse considers appropriate.
(b) By January first, [nineteen hundred ninety-eight] TWO THOUSAND
ELEVEN arrange for the transmission of biographical information and
pictures, sketches or other likenesses of missing children AND PERSONS
to state agencies, departments and the legislature to use in printings.
11. Operate a toll-free twenty-four hour hotline for the public to use
to relay information concerning missing children AND PERSONS;
12. Submit an annual report to the governor and legislature regarding
the activities of the clearinghouse including statistical information
involving reported cases of missing children AND PERSONS pursuant to
section eight hundred thirty-seven-m of this article, AS ADDED BY CHAP-
TER FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE OF THE LAWS OF NINETEEN HUNDRED
NINETY-SEVEN, and a summary of the division's efforts with respect to
the use of monies from the missing and exploited children AND PERSONS
clearinghouse fund created pursuant to section ninety-two-w of the state
finance law; and
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13. Take such other steps as necessary to assist in education,
prevention, service provision and investigation of cases involving miss-
ing and exploited children AND PERSONS.
14. (a) In consultation with the division of state police and other
appropriate agencies, develop, and regularly update and distribute,
model missing child AND PERSON prompt response and notification plans,
which shall be available for use, in their discretion, as appropriate,
by local communities and law enforcement personnel. Such plans shall
involve a pro-active, coordinated response, planned in advance, that may
be promptly triggered by law enforcement personnel upon confirmation by
a police officer, peace officer or police agency of a report of a miss-
ing child, as defined in subdivision one of section eight hundred thir-
ty-seven-e of this article, OR PERSON.
(b) Such plans shall, at a minimum, provide that:
(i) the name of such missing child OR PERSON, a description of the
child OR PERSON and other pertinent information may be promptly
dispatched over the police communication system, pursuant to subdivision
three of section two hundred twenty-one of this chapter;
(ii) such information may be immediately provided orally, electron-
ically or by facsimile transmission to one or more radio stations and
other broadcast media outlets serving the community including, but not
limited to, those which have voluntarily agreed, in advance, to promptly
notify other such radio stations and other broadcast media outlets in
like manner;
(iii) such information may be immediately provided by electronic mail
message to one or more internet service providers and commercial mobile
service providers serving the community including, but not limited to,
those which have voluntarily agreed, in advance, to promptly notify
other such internet service providers in like manner;
(iv) participating radio stations and other participating broadcast
media outlets serving the community may voluntarily agree to promptly
broadcast a missing child alert providing pertinent details concerning
the child's disappearance, breaking into regular programming where
appropriate;
(v) participating internet service providers and commercial mobile
service providers serving the community may voluntarily agree to prompt-
ly provide by electronic mail message a missing child alert providing
pertinent details concerning the child's disappearance;
(vi) police agencies not connected with the basic police communication
system in use in such jurisdiction may transmit such information to the
nearest or most convenient electronic entry point, from which point it
may be promptly dispatched, in conformity with the orders, rules or
regulations governing the system; and
(vii) no dispatch or transmission of a report concerning a missing
child OR PERSON shall be required by such plan if the investigating
police department advises, in its discretion, that the release of such
information may jeopardize the investigation or the safety of the child
OR PERSON, or requests forbearance for any reason.
(c) The commissioner shall also designate a unit within the division
that shall assist law enforcement agencies and representatives of radio
stations, broadcast media outlets, internet service providers and
commercial mobile service providers in the design, implementation and
improvement of missing child OR PERSON prompt response and notification
plans. Such unit shall make ongoing outreach efforts to local govern-
ment entities and local law enforcement agencies to assist such entities
and agencies in the implementation and operation of such plans with the
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goal of implementing and operating such plans in every jurisdiction in
New York state.
(d) The commissioner shall also maintain and make available to appro-
priate state and local law enforcement agencies up-to-date information
concerning technological advances that may assist in facilitating the
recovery of missing children AND PERSONS. Such information shall
include, but not be limited to, technology using computer assisted imag-
ing to "age enhance" photographs of missing children AND PERSONS, and
technology that may be used to enter such photographs and other perti-
nent information concerning missing children AND PERSONS into a database
accessible to appropriate officials and persons.
S 5. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law.