NY State Senate Bill 2015-S2750

Senate Bill S2750

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Requires police officers to notify family members in person of a relative's death in certain circumstances

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2016	referred to transportation
Jan 29, 2015	referred to transportation

co-Sponsors

2015-S2750 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Add §603-c, V & T L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2011-2012: S3141
2013-2014: S914
2017-2018: S1018
2019-2020: S2792
2021-2022: S3150

2015-S2750 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts "Valeria's law"; requires police officers to notify family members in person of a relative's death in certain circumstances.

2015-S2750 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S2750

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in
relation to requiring police officers to notify family members in
person of a relative's death in certain circumstances

PURPOSE:

Require police officers to notify a family member in person, when a
relative has died.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:;

Section 1. Act shall be known as Valeria's Law.

Section 2. In each motor vehicle accident or any other event or
incident in which any person is killed who was not in violation of the
law, the police officer, or agency, or individual who in the regular
course of duty investigates such event shall use reasonable efforts to
identify and notify in person a member of the person's family or
household.

EXISTING LAW:

None exists.

JUSTIFICATION:

Receiving the news that a loved one or a family member has died is a
very emotion filled occurrence. The family members may be on an
emotional roller coaster at that time and it is important to be there
in person to provide them with outlets, or resources they can go to or
use to help them cope with their loss.

In one such notification a police officer taped a yellow sticky note
to the family's front door telling them to call the morgue because
their daughter had been killed. Also cited were families who
frequently received death notifications over the telephone. In one
such telephone delivery, a father suffered a heart attack and
subsequently died following the notification from a Medical examiner's
employee seeking dental records for his son who had died in a vehicle
fire. An Omaha, Nebraska Police officer was fired after leaving a
death notification on a family's answering machine.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2013-14: S.914- referred to Transportation
2011-12: S.3141 - Died in Rules

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect on the Ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2015-S2750 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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

                                  2750

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 29, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  requiring
  police  officers  to  notify  family members in person of a relative's
  death in certain circumstances

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

  Section  1.  This  act  shall  be known and may be cited as "Valeria's
law".
  S 2. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding  a  new  section
603-c to read as follows:
  S 603-C. ACCIDENTS; POLICE TO NOTIFY IN PERSON. 1. IN EACH MOTOR VEHI-
CLE  ACCIDENT  OR  ANY  OTHER  EVENT  OR INCIDENT IN WHICH ANY PERSON IS
KILLED, WHO WAS NOT IN VIOLATION OF ANY LAW, RULES, REGULATIONS,  PROCE-
DURES  OR  SUMMONS, THE POLICE OFFICER, AGENCY OR INDIVIDUAL WHO, IN THE
REGULAR COURSE OF DUTY, INVESTIGATES SUCH ACCIDENT,  EVENT  OR  INCIDENT
SHALL  USE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY AND NOTIFY IN PERSON, A MEMBER
OF THE PERSON'S FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD OF THE FATALITY AS SOON AS PRACTICA-
BLE AFTER SUCH ACCIDENT, EVENT OR INCIDENT.
  2. SUCH NOTIFICATION SHALL INDICATE THAT THE PERSON  WAS  KILLED,  THE
LOCATION  OF  THE  ACCIDENT,  EVENT  OR INCIDENT AND THE LOCATION OF THE
PERSON'S BODY OR REMAINS.
  S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
have become a law.



 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06900-01-5

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Senate Bill S2750

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Sponsored By

Kevin S. Parker