Senator Gallivan Sponsors Bills to Improve Child Protective Services

LEGISLATION WOULD SUPPORT CHANGES PROPOSED BY ERIE COUNTY   

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma) is sponsoring a package of bills to improve Child Protective Services by enhancing communication between the state and local CPS offices during investigations and modernizing technology.  Proposed legislation would also increase the penalty for endangering the welfare of a child in certain circumstances.

As chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Crime, Crime Victims and Corrections, Gallivan says the reforms will better protect children across New York State and will address many of the concerns raised by Erie County officials following the tragic deaths of Abdi Mohamud and Eain Brooks.

“These proposed bills will provide much needed updates to the system designed to protect our most vulnerable citizens, our children.  These changes will make critical information more accessible to CPS workers and allow them to spend less time on paperwork and more time in the field investigating reports of abuse.  This legislation will better protect children and save lives,” Gallivan said.   

Gallivan has introduced the following bills:

• S7045  Establish a class D felony for endangering the welfare of a child when a person knowingly or recklessly creates a risk of either serious physical injury or endangers the welfare of a child less than 17 years old.   
• S7041  Require the statewide automated child welfare information system be upgraded so that it is capable of storing images and documents.
• S7042  Requires the Office of Child and Family Services to make technological improvements to record all calls made to the central register.  The recording must be transmitted to local CPS offices for investigation.
• S7043  Requires state officials to transmit all reports and previous calls of abuse made to the central registry to local CPS offices for investigation.
•  S7044  Requires the Office of Child and Family Services to notify the local CPS office if any person named in the report is a known sex offender or had previously been the subject of a report of abuse or neglect.

The package of bills introduced by Gallivan reflects changes proposed recently by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

"I look forward to working with the members of our N.Y.S. delegation to pass all nineteen of these bills and create some long-needed reform of the Child Protective Services' system across New York. I thank Senator Gallivan for introducing these particular bills and urge the legislature to enact them and the rest of the reform package," Poloncarz said.

Senator Gallivan will work with his colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to review other proposals to further protect the welfare of children and to prosecute those who would do them harm.

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