Bill Text: NY S09545 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Enacts "Melanie's law"; relates to orders of protection; allows courts to issue orders of protection for immediate family members or household members of the named victims, regardless of age.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-08-31 - REFERRED TO RULES [S09545 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S09545-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9545

                    IN SENATE

                                     August 31, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the family court act and the criminal procedure law,  in
          relation to orders of protection

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

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and  may  be  cited  as  "Melanie's
     2  law".
     3    §  2. Subdivision 1 of section 812 of the family court act, as amended
     4  by chapter 326 of the laws of 2008, the opening paragraph as amended  by
     5  chapter 109 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
     6    1.  Jurisdiction.  The family court and the criminal courts shall have
     7  concurrent jurisdiction over any proceeding concerning acts which  would
     8  constitute  disorderly conduct, unlawful dissemination or publication of
     9  an intimate image, harassment in the first  degree,  harassment  in  the
    10  second  degree,  aggravated  harassment  in  the  second  degree, sexual
    11  misconduct, forcible touching, sexual abuse in the third degree,  sexual
    12  abuse  in  the  second degree as set forth in subdivision one of section
    13  130.60 of the penal law, stalking in the first degree, stalking  in  the
    14  second  degree,  stalking  in  the  third degree, stalking in the fourth
    15  degree, criminal mischief, menacing in the second  degree,  menacing  in
    16  the third degree, reckless endangerment, criminal obstruction of breath-
    17  ing or blood circulation, strangulation in the second degree, strangula-
    18  tion  in  the first degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the
    19  third degree, an attempted assault, identity theft in the first  degree,
    20  identity theft in the second degree, identity theft in the third degree,
    21  grand  larceny  in the fourth degree, grand larceny in the third degree,
    22  coercion in the second degree or coercion in the  third  degree  as  set
    23  forth  in subdivisions one, two and three of section 135.60 of the penal
    24  law between spouses or former spouses, or between parent  and  child  or
    25  between  members  of  the  same  family  or household except that if the
    26  respondent would not be criminally responsible by reason of age pursuant
    27  to section 30.00 of the penal law, then  the  family  court  shall  have
    28  exclusive   jurisdiction   over   such   proceeding.  Notwithstanding  a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16184-01-2

        S. 9545                             2

     1  complainant's election to proceed in family court,  the  criminal  court
     2  shall  not be divested of jurisdiction to hear a family offense proceed-
     3  ing pursuant to this section. In any proceeding pursuant to  this  arti-
     4  cle,  a  court shall not deny an order of protection, or dismiss a peti-
     5  tion, solely on the basis that  the  acts  or  events  alleged  are  not
     6  relatively contemporaneous with the date of the petition, the conclusion
     7  of  the fact-finding or the conclusion of the dispositional hearing. For
     8  purposes of  this  article,  "disorderly  conduct"  includes  disorderly
     9  conduct not in a public place. For purposes of this article, "members of
    10  the same family or household" shall mean the following:
    11    (a) persons related by consanguinity or affinity;
    12    (b) persons legally married to one another;
    13    (c) persons formerly married to one another regardless of whether they
    14  still reside in the same household;
    15    (d)  persons  who  have  a  child in common regardless of whether such
    16  persons have been married or have lived together at any time; [and]
    17    (e) persons who are not related by consanguinity or affinity  and  who
    18  are  or have been in an intimate relationship regardless of whether such
    19  persons have lived together at any time. Factors the court may  consider
    20  in  determining  whether  a  relationship  is an "intimate relationship"
    21  include but are not limited to: the  nature  or  type  of  relationship,
    22  regardless of whether the relationship is sexual in nature; the frequen-
    23  cy of interaction between the persons; and the duration of the relation-
    24  ship.  Neither a casual acquaintance nor ordinary fraternization between
    25  two individuals in business  or  social  contexts  shall  be  deemed  to
    26  constitute an "intimate relationship"; and
    27    (f)  persons  who  are related by consanguinity or affinity to parties
    28  who are or have been in an intimate relationship as defined in paragraph
    29  (e) of this subdivision.
    30    § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 530.11 of the criminal procedure law, as
    31  amended by chapter 326 of the laws of 2008,  the  opening  paragraph  as
    32  amended  by  chapter  109  of  the  laws  of 2019, is amended to read as
    33  follows:
    34    1. Jurisdiction. The family court and the criminal courts  shall  have
    35  concurrent  jurisdiction over any proceeding concerning acts which would
    36  constitute disorderly conduct, unlawful dissemination or publication  of
    37  an  intimate  image,  harassment  in the first degree, harassment in the
    38  second degree,  aggravated  harassment  in  the  second  degree,  sexual
    39  misconduct,  forcible touching, sexual abuse in the third degree, sexual
    40  abuse in the second degree as set forth in subdivision  one  of  section
    41  130.60  of  the penal law, stalking in the first degree, stalking in the
    42  second degree, stalking in the third  degree,  stalking  in  the  fourth
    43  degree,  criminal  mischief,  menacing in the second degree, menacing in
    44  the third degree, reckless  endangerment,  strangulation  in  the  first
    45  degree,  strangulation  in  the  second  degree, criminal obstruction of
    46  breathing or blood circulation, assault in the second degree, assault in
    47  the third degree, an attempted assault,  identity  theft  in  the  first
    48  degree, identity theft in the second degree, identity theft in the third
    49  degree,  grand  larceny in the fourth degree, grand larceny in the third
    50  degree, coercion in the second degree or coercion in the third degree as
    51  set forth in subdivisions one, two and three of section  135.60  of  the
    52  penal law between spouses or former spouses, or between parent and child
    53  or  between  members  of the same family or household except that if the
    54  respondent would not be criminally responsible by reason of age pursuant
    55  to section 30.00 of the penal law, then  the  family  court  shall  have
    56  exclusive   jurisdiction   over   such   proceeding.  Notwithstanding  a

        S. 9545                             3

     1  complainant's election to proceed in family court,  the  criminal  court
     2  shall  not be divested of jurisdiction to hear a family offense proceed-
     3  ing pursuant to this section. For purposes of this section,  "disorderly
     4  conduct"  includes  disorderly  conduct  not  in  a  public place.   For
     5  purposes of this section, "members of the same family or household" with
     6  respect to a proceeding in the criminal courts shall mean the following:
     7    (a) persons related by consanguinity or affinity;
     8    (b) persons legally married to one another;
     9    (c) persons formerly married to one another regardless of whether they
    10  still reside in the same household;
    11    (d) persons who have a child in common,  regardless  of  whether  such
    12  persons have been married or have lived together at any time; [and]
    13    (e)  persons  who are not related by consanguinity or affinity and who
    14  are or have been in an intimate relationship regardless of whether  such
    15  persons  have lived together at any time. Factors the court may consider
    16  in determining whether a  relationship  is  an  "intimate  relationship"
    17  include  but  are  not  limited  to: the nature or type of relationship,
    18  regardless of whether the relationship is sexual in nature; the frequen-
    19  cy of interaction between the persons; and the duration of the relation-
    20  ship. Neither a casual acquaintance nor ordinary fraternization  between
    21  two  individuals  in  business  or  social  contexts  shall be deemed to
    22  constitute an "intimate relationship"; and
    23    (f) persons who are related by consanguinity or  affinity  to  parties
    24  who are or have been in an intimate relationship as defined in paragraph
    25  (e) of this subdivision.
    26    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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