Hochul signs domestic violence, human trafficking bills
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Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed three bills into law as Domestic Violence Awareness Month winds down.
Hochul on Tuesday signed A.10960A/S.9671, which requires local Boards of Election to notify survivors at least six months in advance of their protection expiring. Such notice will remind survivors of the date their protection will end and the process for filing a new request to ensure the continued confidentiality of their records.
The legislation was sponsored by Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, and Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Kingston.
"Stalking, harassment and the many other abusive tactics used by perpetrators of domestic violence often continue long after a survivor has left the situation," Rosenthal said. "The signing of this legislation will ensure that a survivor's address information can be kept private by the Board of Elections for as long as necessary, ensuring confidentiality and protecting their safety."
Under current law, domestic violence survivors can file a request with their local Board of Elections to keep their voter registration record, including their address, confidential. Any survivor at risk of physical or emotional harm to themselves or their family may apply for the four-year protection, but there is no requirement that survivors be warned before that protection expires, leaving their information vulnerable once again if they do not renew it. .
"Survivors may spend years rebuilding their lives after escaping an abusive situation," Rosenthal said. "With so much going on, it can be easy to forget to renew this crucial protection, underscoring the importance of receiving advance notice from the Board of Elections. With a simple notice, survivors will be empowered to renew these protections, shielding their addresses from those who wish to do harm."
The legislation was approved unanimously in the state Assembly and Senate.
"We must use every tool possible to ensure that survivors of domestic violence remain safe and can feel secure in their lives," Hinchey said. "Requiring the state Board of Elections to notify survivors before their confidential voter registration status expires will help prevent a lapse in this critical layer of protection. I'm proud to sponsor this legislation, and I thank Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal for her partnership in getting this done and Governor Hochul for signing it into law so that we can strengthen an important safeguard for New Yorkers."
Hochul signed two other bills Tuesday:
– A.6338/S.5041 allows for the expansion of the Address Confidentiality Program to include victims of the revenge porn law, allowing them to utilize the Address Confidentiality Program. The Address Confidentiality Program is a program that assists individuals who have been victims of certain crimes and who have relocated as a result of the crime. The Address Confidentiality Program gives them an alternative address to use that would protect the confidentiality of their location, and the inclusion of victims under the revenge porn law allows for them to utilize the Address Confidentiality Program during the legal process.The legislation was sponsored by Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, D-Brooklyn, and Sen. Luis Sepulveda, D-Bronx, and passed both houses of the legislature unanimously.
– A.8939/S.9341, sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale and Sen. Jessica Scarpella-Spanton, D-Staten Island, which clarifies the penalty for failing to comply with the law requiring the posting of information on services for human trafficking victims. It provides for a grace period for a facility to come into compliance with the law once they have been notified that they are not complying. The intent of the legislation is to ensure that all lodging facilities make information available that can assist human trafficking victims. The legislation sets a civil penalty of $500 for a first offense and a $1,000 fine for subsequent violations. The bill was approved unanimously in both houses of the legislature.
"This bill is a necessary step to ensure that businesses are complying with laws which protect vulnerable persons within our state’s borders," Paulin and Scarpella-Spanton wrote in their legislative justification.