Bill Text: NY A00896 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits the employment of a sex offender in any position having substantial contact with children; defines "substantial contact" as any activity involving children; establishes criminal penalties for violation of statutory provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to correction [A00896 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00896-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           896
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 14, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. M. G. MILLER -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Correction
        AN ACT to amend the correction  law,  in  relation  to  prohibiting  sex
          offenders  from  any position involving substantial contact with chil-
          dren
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 168-w of the correction law, as relettered by chap-
     2  ter  604  of  the  laws  of  2005, is relettered section 168-x and a new
     3  section 168-w is added to read as follows:
     4    § 168-w. Sex offenders shall not be employed in a  position  involving
     5  substantial contact with children. 1. No sex offender shall apply for or
     6  accept a position which involves substantial contact with children. Such
     7  position shall include any job, task or occupation, which by its nature,
     8  requires  a  person  to  be  in substantial contact with children in the
     9  regular performance of his or her duties or dealings in  such  position.
    10  This  section shall also apply to any person seeking a permit or permis-
    11  sion to execute any activity or performance that would present a  direct
    12  contact with children.
    13    2.  The  definition of "position" as used in this section, shall apply
    14  to any person seeking employment either paid or unpaid, any person seek-
    15  ing to volunteer, or any person seeking  a  permit  or  permission  that
    16  would present a substantial contact with children.
    17    3. Examples of such employment shall include, but shall not be limited
    18  to:
    19    a.  Any position in a school including teachers, teacher-aides, admin-
    20  istrators, assistants, cafeteria workers, janitors, nurses or any  other
    21  person  working  in  a  school that would have contact with the children
    22  attending said school;
    23    b. Any position in a child-care facility;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00151-01-9
        A. 896                              2
     1    c. Any recreational position such as a coach, boy scout or girl  scout
     2  leader,  camp counselor, lifeguard, instructor or any other recreational
     3  area that would present a substantial contact with children;
     4    d.  Any  position  in  a park, playground, amusement park, pool or any
     5  other facility or area where children have a propensity to inhabit;
     6    e. Any store or restaurant that is specifically targeted towards chil-
     7  dren such as a toy store or children's theme restaurant;
     8    f. Any position wherein a person would be employed  in  an  area  that
     9  specifically  is  targeted  towards  children such as an ice cream truck
    10  operator;
    11    g. Any person applying for a permit or  permission  that  would  grant
    12  said  person  the  ability  to  carry out any activity or action that is
    13  directed towards or would involve substantial contact with children.
    14    4. Employers, organizations and government entities shall have  access
    15  to  the  statewide  central registry of child abuse and maltreatment for
    16  the purpose of performing a background  check  for  any  convictions  of
    17  sexual  abuse  of  a  child. Every employer, organization and government
    18  entity shall check any potential employees seeking to assume a  position
    19  that  will  be  in  substantial  contact  with children against both the
    20  statewide central registry of  child  abuse  and  maltreatment  and  the
    21  registered  sex  offenders  database  to  ascertain if said person has a
    22  conviction for sexual abuse of a child.
    23    5. "Substantial contact with children" as used in this  section  means
    24  working  with children, having access to children, having opportunity to
    25  be alone with children, spending  time  with  children,  performing  for
    26  children or any other activity that involves children.
    27    6.  a.  Any  sex  offender  who  applies  for or accepts employment in
    28  violation of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor  upon
    29  the first conviction thereof, and upon a second or subsequent conviction
    30  thereof shall be guilty of a class D felony.
    31    b.  Any  employer who knowingly employs a sex offender in violation of
    32  this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
    33    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
    34  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.