One bad veto: Gov. Cuomo rejects a bill with long-overdue amendments to a state child abuse and neglect database

Each year, tens of thousands of New York parents accused of child abuse and neglect have their names added to a state database before those charges ever get a hearing. Even if the charges are never proven, names can stay on the database, which many employers use to vet potential hires, for decades, blacklisting often vulnerable women from getting jobs that might improve their lives and the lives of their children.

We’re surprised at Gov. Cuomo’s veto of legislation that made modest adjustments to that law; a coalition of child welfare and legal organizations who rarely agree on anything supported the fixes. The bill would have raised the standard for adding names to the registry, bringing New York in line with 41 other states......

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