NY State Senate Bill 2023-S976

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families 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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to children and families
Jan 09, 2023	referred to children and families

co-Sponsors

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A5455
Current Committee:: Senate Children And Families
Law Section:: Family Court Act
Laws Affected:: Amd §§1012, 1017, 1022, 1027 & 1028, Fam Ct Act
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2011-2012: A10080
2013-2014: A2083, A8490
2015-2016: A2412
2017-2018: A4271, A9725
2019-2020: A5745, A6536
2021-2022: S6509, A4754

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Protects a parent who is a victim of domestic violence from having children removed from their custody if they reported the abuse.

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S976

SPONSOR: MATTERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the family court act, in relation to the basis for
removal of children and the creation of "Melinda's Law"

 
PURPOSE:

To provide a safe harbor for a non-abusive spouse to report abuse while
still retaining custody of children.

 
SUMMARY:

Section 1 of this bill provides that this act will be known as
"Melinda's Law."Section 2 of this bill provides for the legislative
intent. Threats by the abusive spouse to call Child Protective Services
are often used as a means to compel subjugation from the non-abusive
spouse. This was the case for Melinda. The abuse she and her children
suffered at the hands of her husband was horrific, and her husband used
the threat of her children being taken away from her to keep her in the

abusive relation- ship. Section 3 of this bill amends section 1012 of
the Family Court Act, adding a new subdivision (o) to define "domestic
violence." "Domestic violence" is defined as any conduct which would
constitute an offense in the penal law, and created a substantial risk
of physical or emotional harm regardless of whether such injury
occurred, or any other abuse that creates a substantial risk of physical
or emotional harm to such person or such person's child i regardless of
whether such harm occurred, including but not limited to verbal,
emotional or psychological abuse, including slapping. A new subdivision
(p) is also added to define "victim spouse or domestic partner subjected
to domestic violence."  This is defined as the respondent spouse or
domestic partner who is the non-abusive spouse or domestic partner, and
is determined to be subjected to domestic violence as defined by the
previous subdivision(o).Section 4 of this bill amends section 1017 of
the Family Court Act by adding a new subdivision 1-a to provide for
procedure determining whether there is a suitable person related to the
child for custody purposes in the case of domestic violence. Paragraph
(a) of this new section provides for what the court may determine for
custody purposes. Subparagraphs (i) through (iii) list the factors the
court may determine: whether either respondent has been subjected to
domestic violence by the other respondent, and if so, whether such
victim spouse or domestic partner subject to domestic violence reported
the incident precipitating a removal order or hearing under this article
of the Family Court Act, and if so, whether such victim spouse or domes-
tic partner subjected to domestic violence has been neglectful or
abusive in their behavior towards the child or children at issue. Para-
graph (b) of this new section provides that if the court determines a
respondent is a victim spouse or domestic partner subjected to domestic
violence and reported such incident precipitating the order or hearing,
then the court must deem that person a non-respondent for the purposes
of the removal order or hearing, providing the victim spouse or domestic
partner subjected to domestic violence was not neglectful or abusive in
their behavior toward the child or children at issue. If the court finds
such, the court must award custody to the non-respondent
parent.Paragraph (c) of this new section provides that if a determi-
nation is made that both parents remain respondents, the court can
determine whether there is a suitable person related to the child for
the purposes of custody.Paragraph (d) of this new section provides of
the respondent abuser or take any other steps deemed necessary within
its statutory and constitutional powers to determine whether or not a
respondent is a victim spouse subjected to domestic violence.Paragraph
(e) of this new section provides that this new subdivision shall not
apply to instances of sexual crimes, murder, or where there have been
prior incidents involving disfigurement of the child or children at
issue.Section 5 of this bill renumbers paragraphs (vi) and (vii) of
subdivision (a) of section 1022 of the Family Court Act and adds a new
paragraph (vi) which provides that if the court determines that a
respondent parent is a non-respondent for the reasons given by Family
Court Act section 1017(1-a), the court shall issue a temporary order of
protection against the respondent abuser.Section 6 of this bill amends
subdivision (b) of section, 1027 of the Family Court Act to provide that
if the court determines that a respondent parent is a non-respondent,
the court shall issue a temporary order of protection against the
respondent abuser.Section 7 of this bill amends subdivision (b) of
section 1027 of the Family Court Act to provide that at any time in the
proceedings for removal of a child, a finding by the court that a
respondent parent is a non-respondent because of the determination that
the non-respondent is a victim spouse or domestic partner subjected to
domestic violence, a hearing will no longer be necessary for return of
the child if this is shown.

Section 8 of this bill provides that this act shall take effect imme-
diately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This bill addresses a dilemma faced by many parents who are victims of
domestic violence. One parent in New York that struggled with this
dilemma is "Melinda," whose full name is not used to protect her fami-
ly's privacy. Melinda is a woman suffering from battered person syndrome
as a result of over twenty years of physical and psychological abuse by
her husband. Like many parents who suffer from battered person syndrome,
Melinda accepted her abuse with the belief that her children needed a
father. Eventually, the abuse was directed at the children, prompting
Melinda to warn her husband that she would go to the authorities if the
abuse continued. In response, Melinda's husband issued his Own warning:
that if she were to report him, Child Protective Services would take
their children away. Unfortunately, her husband's threat was not
unfounded. Current law does not adequately protect the interests of
victims of domestic violence, who are deemed virtual accomplices in the
abuse despite often being the party who reported the abuse in the first
place. This is fundamentally unfair. The law should not lend credence to
the threats of abusers who coerce their victims into remaining silent
about domestic violence. Instead, the law should allow good parents to
report domestic violence with the confidence that they will not be sepa-
rated from their children for doing so. This bill achieves that goal
while protecting the interests of the child through several safeguards.
First, where the court deems a victim parent a "non respondent" and
awards custody to that parent, the court shall issue a protection order
against the abusive parent removing such parent awarding custody to a
non-respondent parent where such parent has been neglectful or where
serious crimes such as murder or sexual crimes have been committed.
Third, the court shall only award custody to the victim parent if it is
in the best interests of the child.  This grant of judicial discretion

will allow courts to take into account other relevant circumstances not
explicitly provided for in this bill.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020 held for consideration in children and families in Assembly

2021- 2022 Referred to Children and Families

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    976
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 9, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. MATTERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to amend the family court act,  in  relation  to  the  basis  for
   removal of children and the creation of "Melinda's Law"
 
   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  "Melinda's
 Law".
   §  2.  Legislative  intent.  The legislature hereby finds and declares
 that in cases of domestic violence, the abuse sometimes moves  from  the
 spouse  to  the children. Once the abusive spouse begins to over-discip-
 line the children, the abusive spouse will  often  use  threats  or  the
 removal  of  the  children  by  child  protective services as a means to
 compel subjugation from the non-abusive spouse. In addition, the abusive
 spouse prevents the reporting of  such  incidents  to  child  protective
 services  by  making the non-abusive spouse an accomplice in this abuse.
 Under this threat, children are subjected to escalating abuse that could
 have been prevented if the non-abusive  spouse  had  a  safe  harbor  to
 report such abuse at the early stages without fear of losing their chil-
 dren.  By  this  act the legislature intends to take such tool away from
 the abusive spouse by providing the non-abusive spouse a way  to  report
 such  incidents without fear of having their children removed from their
 custody. The sequence of events above are an apt description of  "Melin-
 da".  Melinda  is a woman suffering from domestic violence. She had been
 abused by her husband over a   twenty-year period. The  abuse  had  seen
 verbal,  psychological,  and  physical. She took the abuse in the belief
 that her children needed a father. Eventually the abuse was  transferred
 to  the  children.  It  started with excessive spanking, locking a young
 teenager in the basement, and pushing a  five-year-old  to  the  ground.
 Melinda  confronted  her husband and put herself between her husband and
 her children resulting in a black-eye to Melinda. She told  her  husband
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01036-01-3

 S. 976                              2
 
 that  she  would  not let him hit the children and would call the police
 and have him arrested. Her husband responded  that  if  she  called  the
 police,  her  children  would be taken away from her by child protective
 services.  The  husband than graduated to hitting his teenage son with a
 wooden rod that left welts. The abuse in this cycle of domestic violence
 is escalated over time when the abusive spouse believes that the  non-a-
 busive  spouse  or  caretaker  is afraid to report such abuse, under the
 fear of losing their children. By creating a safe harbor under Melinda's
 Law we have the opportunity to prevent the escalation of abuse  to  both
 the  spouse  victim  and  the  children  who are the victims of domestic
 violence.
   § 3. Section 1012 of the family court act is amended by adding two new
 subdivisions (o) and (p) to read as follows:
   (O) "DOMESTIC VIOLENCE" MEANS:
   (I) ANY CONDUCT WHICH WOULD CONSTITUTE AN OFFENSE IN  THE  PENAL  LAW,
 AND CREATED A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL HARM, REGARDLESS
 OF WHETHER SUCH INJURY OCCURRED; OR
   (II)  ANY  OTHER ABUSE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO VERBAL, EMOTIONAL
 OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE, INCLUDING SLAPPING, THAT CREATES  A  SUBSTANTIAL
 RISK  OF  PHYSICAL  OR  EMOTIONAL  HARM  TO SUCH PERSON OR SUCH PERSON'S
 CHILD, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH HARM OCCURRED.
   (P) "VICTIM SPOUSE OR DOMESTIC PARTNER SUBJECTED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE"
 MEANS THE RESPONDENT SPOUSE OR DOMESTIC PARTNER WHO IS  THE  NON-ABUSIVE
 SPOUSE  OR DOMESTIC PARTNER, AND IS DETERMINED TO BE SUBJECTED TO DOMES-
 TIC VIOLENCE AS DEFINED BY SUBDIVISION (O) OF THIS SECTION.
   § 4. Section 1017 of the family court act is amended by adding  a  new
 subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
   1-A.  (A) IN DETERMINING WHETHER THERE IS A SUITABLE PERSON RELATED TO
 THE CHILD WITH WHOM SUCH CHILD MAY APPROPRIATELY RESIDE  UNDER  SUBDIVI-
 SION  ONE  OF THIS SECTION AND IF BOTH PARENTS ARE RESPONDENTS THE COURT
 SHALL FIRST INQUIRE AS TO THE FOLLOWING:
   (I) WHETHER EITHER RESPONDENT HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO DOMESTIC  VIOLENCE
 BY THE OTHER RESPONDENT AND IF SO;
   (II)  WHETHER  SUCH  VICTIM  SPOUSE  OR  DOMESTIC PARTNER SUBJECTED TO
 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REPORTED THE INCIDENT PRECIPITATING A REMOVAL ORDER OR
 HEARING UNDER THIS ARTICLE AND IF SO;
   (III) WHETHER SUCH VICTIM SPOUSE  OR  DOMESTIC  PARTNER  SUBJECTED  TO
 DOMESTIC  VIOLENCE  HAS  BEEN  NEGLECTFUL  OR  ABUSIVE IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
 TOWARDS THE CHILD OR CHILDREN AT ISSUE.
   (B) IF THE COURT SHALL DETERMINE UNDER PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS  SUBDIVI-
 SION  THAT A RESPONDENT IS A VICTIM SPOUSE OR DOMESTIC PARTNER SUBJECTED
 TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT PRECIPITATING  THE  ORDER
 OR  HEARING  UNDER  THIS  ARTICLE  THEN THE COURT SHALL DEEM SUCH VICTIM
 SPOUSE OR DOMESTIC PARTNER SUBJECTED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE A  NON-RESPON-
 DENT  FOR  PURPOSES OF THE REMOVAL ORDER OR HEARING; PROVIDED THAT, SUCH
 VICTIM SPOUSE OR DOMESTIC PARTNER SUBJECTED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS  NOT
 NEGLECTFUL OR ABUSIVE IN THEIR BEHAVIOR TOWARDS THE CHILD OR CHILDREN AT
 ISSUE.  IF  THE  COURT  SO  FINDS, THE COURT SHALL AWARD CUSTODY TO SUCH
 NON-RESPONDENT PARENT PROVIDED THAT SUCH CUSTODY IS IN THE  BEST  INTER-
 ESTS OF THE CHILD OR CHILDREN.
   (C)  IF  A  DETERMINATION IS MADE THAT BOTH PARENTS REMAIN AS RESPOND-
 ENTS, THE COURT MAY THEN DETERMINE WHETHER THERE IS  A  SUITABLE  PERSON
 RELATED TO THE CHILD WITH WHOM SUCH CHILD MAY APPROPRIATELY RESIDE UNDER
 SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION.
   (D)  THE COURT MAY CONDUCT IN CAMERA INTERVIEWS, BAR THE APPEARANCE OF
 THE RESPONDENT ABUSER OR TAKE ANY OTHER  STEPS  AS  IT  DEEMS  NECESSARY
 S. 976                              3
 
 WITHIN  ITS  STATUTORY AND CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR
 NOT A RESPONDENT IS A VICTIM SPOUSE WITHIN THE MEANING  OF  SUBPARAGRAPH
 (I) OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   (E)  THIS  SUBDIVISION  SHALL NOT APPLY TO INSTANCES OF SEXUAL CRIMES,
 MURDER OR WHERE THERE HAS BEEN PRIOR INCIDENTS  INVOLVING  DISFIGUREMENT
 OF THE CHILD OR CHILDREN AT ISSUE.
   §  5.  Paragraphs (vi) and (vii) of subdivision (a) of section 1022 of
 the family court act are renumbered paragraphs (vii) and  (viii)  and  a
 new paragraph (vi) is added to read as follows:
   (VI)  IF  THE  COURT SHALL DETERMINE, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE-A OF
 SECTION ONE THOUSAND SEVENTEEN OF THIS ARTICLE THAT A RESPONDENT  PARENT
 IS  A  NON-RESPONDENT  FOR THE REASONS GIVEN THEREUNDER, THE COURT SHALL
 ISSUE A TEMPORARY ORDER OF  PROTECTION  AGAINST  THE  RESPONDENT  ABUSER
 PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (V) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   §  6.  Subdivision  (b)  of  section  1027  of the family court act is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (vi) to read as follows:
   (VI) IF THE COURT SHALL DETERMINE, PURSUANT TO  SUBDIVISION  ONE-A  OF
 SECTION  ONE THOUSAND SEVENTEEN OF THIS ARTICLE THAT A RESPONDENT PARENT
 IS A NON-RESPONDENT FOR THE REASONS GIVEN THEREUNDER,  THE  COURT  SHALL
 ISSUE  A  TEMPORARY  ORDER  OF  PROTECTION AGAINST THE RESPONDENT ABUSER
 PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (V) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   § 7. Subdivision (a) of section 1028  of  the  family  court  act,  as
 amended  by  chapter  41  of  the  laws  of  2010, is amended to read as
 follows:
   (a) Upon the application of the parent or other person legally respon-
 sible for the care of a child temporarily removed  under  this  part  or
 upon  the application of the child's attorney for an order returning the
 child, the court shall hold a hearing to  determine  whether  the  child
 should  be  returned  (i)  unless  there  has been a hearing pursuant to
 section one thousand twenty-seven of this [article] PART on the  removal
 of the child at which the parent or other person legally responsible for
 the  child's  care was present and had the opportunity to be represented
 by counsel, or (ii) upon good cause shown, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE A FINDING
 BY THE COURT, AT ANY TIME IN THE PROCEEDINGS, THAT A  RESPONDENT  PARENT
 IS  A  NON-RESPONDENT PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE THOUSAND SEVENTEEN OF THIS
 ARTICLE. Except for good cause shown, such hearing shall be held  within
 three  court  days  of  the application and shall not be adjourned. Upon
 such hearing, the court shall grant the  application,  unless  it  finds
 that the return presents an imminent risk to the child's life or health.
 If  a parent or other person legally responsible for the care of a child
 waives his or her right to a hearing under this section, the court shall
 advise such person at that time that, notwithstanding  such  waiver,  an
 application  under  this  section  may  be  made  at any time during the
 pendency of the proceedings.
   § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S976

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S976

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Mario R. Mattera

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee

co-Sponsors

Alexis Weik

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S976 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments