Bill Text: NY S02304 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires all incarcerated individuals who do not have a high-school diploma or its equivalent to receive a reading proficiency level assessment and dyslexia screening upon intake by the department of corrections; requires for such individuals who perform below a certain proficiency level to be provided with intervention services that are evidence-based, effective and consistent with science-based research specifically tailored to addressing dyslexia.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-06 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S02304 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S02304-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         2304--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 19, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  MYRIE,  ASHBY,  BROUK, CLEARE, COMRIE, GOUNARDES,
          HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, KRUEGER, RIVERA, SALAZAR, SKOUFIS, STAVISKY --
          read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to
          the  Committee  on  Crime  Victims,  Crime  and Correction -- reported
          favorably from said  committee  and  committed  to  the  Committee  on
          Finance  --  committee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to a reading proficiency
          level assessment and dyslexia screening for incarcerated individuals

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 137-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  137-a. Reading proficiency level assessment and dyslexia screening.
     4  1. As part of the intake process, an incarcerated  individual  who  does
     5  not have a high school diploma or its equivalent shall receive a reading
     6  proficiency  level assessment and dyslexia screening administered by the
     7  department, provided however, nothing in this section shall preclude the
     8  incarcerated individual from completing a department-provided  screening
     9  that  is intended to be self-administered. If an incarcerated individual
    10  demonstrates that he or she is below the proficiency level  required  to
    11  be  a  high-functioning  reader,  such individual shall be provided with
    12  dyslexia intervention that is evidence-based, effective, and  consistent
    13  with  science-based  research specifically tailored to addressing dysle-
    14  xia.
    15    2. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner  of  educa-
    16  tion,  shall  promulgate rules and regulations that require, but are not
    17  limited to the following:
    18    (a) Teachers at all correctional facilities shall have and demonstrate
    19  awareness of the best practices of scientific reading instruction;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01960-03-3
        S. 2304--A                          2

     1    (b) Each incarcerated individual who  does  not  have  a  high  school
     2  diploma  or  its  equivalent  shall  receive a reading proficiency level
     3  assessment and a dyslexia screening; and
     4    (c)  A  process be established in which incarcerated individuals, upon
     5  intake, are assessed  and  administered  a  dyslexia  screening  by  the
     6  department,  and  provided  with dyslexia intervention by the department
     7  that is evidence-based, effective,  and  consistent  with  science-based
     8  research  specifically  tailored to addressing dyslexia.  The department
     9  shall ensure that such intervention services are  provided  by  licensed
    10  professionals  in  permanent  competitive  positions  in  the classified
    11  service employed by the department.
    12    3. Each superintendent shall submit a  plan  to  the  department  that
    13  allows  incarcerated individuals to voluntarily receive a reading profi-
    14  ciency level assessment, dyslexia  screening,  and  reading  instruction
    15  that  is  evidence-based,  effective,  and consistent with science-based
    16  research specifically tailored to addressing dyslexia.
    17    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    18  have  become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amendment and/or
    19  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
    20  this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
    21  on or before such date.