S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  5902

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              March 6, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced by M. of A. BARRON -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Children and Families

AN  ACT  to  amend  the  mental  hygiene  law  and the executive law, in
  relation to providing legal assistance to youth ordered by  the  court
  into  the  custody  of  the office of children and family services and
  placed or committed to a state operated juvenile detention center

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 47.01 of the mental hygiene law,
as  amended  by  chapter  7  of  the laws of 2007, is amended to read as
follows:
  (a) There shall be a mental hygiene legal service of the state in each
judicial department. The  service  shall  provide  legal  assistance  to
patients  or  residents of a facility as defined in section 1.03 of this
chapter, or any other place or facility which is  required  to  have  an
operating  certificate pursuant to article sixteen or thirty-one of this
chapter, and to persons alleged to be in need of care and  treatment  in
such facilities or places, and to persons entitled to such legal assist-
ance  as  provided  by  article ten of this chapter.  THE SERVICES SHALL
ALSO PROVIDE LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO YOUTH ORDERED BY  THE  COURT  INTO  THE
CUSTODY  OF  THE  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES AND PLACED OR
COMMITTED TO A STATE OPERATED JUVENILE DETENTION  CENTER.  The  head  of
such  service  in  each judicial department and such assistants and such
staff as may be necessary shall be appointed and may be removed  by  the
presiding  justice of the appellate division of the judicial department.
Appointments  and  transfers  to  the  service  shall  comply  with  the
provisions of the civil service law. Standards for qualifications of the
personnel  in  the service shall be established by the presiding justice
of the appellate division of  the  judicial  department.  The  presiding
justice  of  the  appellate  division  of  the judicial department shall

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06888-01-5

              

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promulgate such rules or regulations as may be necessary  to  effectuate
the purposes of this article.
  S  2. Section 47.03 of the mental hygiene law, as added by chapter 789
of the laws of 1985, subdivision (c) as amended by chapter  408  of  the
laws of 1999, subdivisions (d) and (e) as amended and subdivision (f) as
added by chapter 7 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
S 47.03 Functions, powers and duties of the service.
  The  mental  hygiene  legal service in each judicial department of the
state shall perform the following duties:
  (a) To study and review the admission and retention of all patients or
residents which shall include a review of the willingness of the patient
or resident to remain in his or her status and the determination of  the
facility  director  as to suitability of such status, as provided for by
this chapter;
  (b) To inform patients or  residents  and,  in  proper  cases,  others
interested  in  such  persons'  welfare  of procedures for admission and
retention and of the patients' or  residents'  right  to  have  judicial
hearing  and  review,  to  be  represented by legal counsel, and to seek
independent medical opinion;
  (c) To provide legal services and assistance to patients or  residents
and  their  families  related  to the admission, retention, and care and
treatment of such persons, to provide legal services and  assistance  to
subjects of a petition or patients subject to section 9.60 of this chap-
ter,  and to inform patients or residents, their families and, in proper
cases, others interested in the patients' or residents' welfare  of  the
availability  of  other  legal  resources  which may be of assistance in
matters not directly related to the admission, retention, and  care  and
treatment of such patients or residents;
  (d)  TO  PROVIDE  LEGAL  SERVICES  AND ASSISTANCE TO YOUTH RESIDING IN
JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS AND THEIR FAMILIES RELATED TO THE  RETENTION,
CARE  AND TREATMENT OF SUCH PERSONS, AND TO INFORM YOUTH AND THEIR FAMI-
LIES AND IN PROPER CASES, OTHERS INTERESTED IN THE YOUTHS'  WELFARE,  OF
THE  AVAILABILITY OF OTHER LEGAL RESOURCES WHICH MAY BE OF ASSISTANCE IN
MATTERS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE RETENTION,  CARE  AND  TREATMENT  OF
SUCH YOUTH;
  (E) To be granted access at any and all times to any facility or place
or  part  thereof  described in subdivision (a) of section 47.01 of this
article, and to all books, records  and  data  pertaining  to  any  such
facility  or  place  deemed  necessary  for  carrying out its functions,
powers and duties. The mental hygiene legal service may require from the
officers or employees of such facility or place any  information  deemed
necessary  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out the service's functions,
powers and duties. Information, books, records or data which are  confi-
dential  and  any limitations on the release thereof imposed by law upon
the party furnishing the information, books, records or data shall apply
to  the  service.  Provided,  however,  whenever   federal   regulations
restrict,  or  as  a  condition  of  federal aid require that a facility
restrict the release of information contained in the clinical record  of
a patient or client, or restrict disclosure of the identity of a patient
or  access  to  that  patient, to a greater extent than is allowed under
this section, the provisions of such federal law or  federal  regulation
shall be controlling;
  [(e)]  (F)  To  initiate and take any legal action deemed necessary to
safeguard the right of any patient [or], resident OR YOUTH to protection
from abuse or mistreatment, which may  include  investigation  into  any

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such  allegations  of abuse or mistreatment of any such patient or resi-
dent; and
  [(f)]  (G) To provide legal services and assistance in accordance with
article ten of this chapter.
  S 3. The executive law is amended by adding a  new  section  508-a  to
read as follows:
  S  508-A.  LEGAL SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE TO YOUTH.  IN ADDITION TO ANY
LAW GUARDIAN, COURT APPOINTED COUNSEL OR PRIVATE  COUNSEL  A  YOUTH  MAY
HAVE,  THE  MENTAL  HYGIENE LEGAL SERVICE IN EACH JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT OF
THE STATE, ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE  FORTY-SEVEN  OF  THE  MENTAL
HYGIENE  LAW,  SHALL  PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE TO YOUTH AND
THEIR FAMILY RELATING TO THE RETENTION, CARE AND TREATMENT OF SUCH YOUTH
WHEN SUCH YOUTH IS ORDERED BY THE COURT INTO THE CUSTODY OF  THE  OFFICE
OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES AND PLACED OR COMMITTED TO A STATE OPER-
ATED JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER.
  S  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to subdivision
(c) of section 47.03 of the mental hygiene law made by  section  two  of
this  act shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such subdivi-
sion and shall be deemed to expire therewith.  Further provided,  effec-
tive  immediately,  the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or
regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective
date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on  or  before
such effective date.