Spin Cycle

.......a safe society for our resident to live, work and raise their families. These new laws will enhance the protections afforded to the citizens of this state and will address gaps in protection that have existed for years. I applaud the Legislature for working with me and my staff to reach agreements on fixing these problems.'

"Governor Paterson has also signed a new law (S.8665 / A.11707), which will expand access to Civil Orders of Protection, allowing a person who is or was in an intimate relationship with an abuser – even though not related to that person – to seek an order of protection in family court. This substantially expands protections for victims, who for a variety of reasons may be unwilling to press charges in criminal court.

"Another specific package of reforms – consisting of four bills – will represent a significant improvement for adults and children who live away from their families in residential care, particularly in mental hygiene facilities. The package includes: enhancing the standards used to determine if child abuse or neglect has occurred in residential facilities (S.8534-A / A.11753); extending the time period for retroactive requests for information under Jonathan’s Law (S.8389-A / A.10897-A); prohibiting the withholding of food or hydration from residents of mental hygiene facilities (S.8551-A / A.11482-A); and making recommendations as to appropriate work hours for direct care employees in mental hygiene facilities (S.8679-A / A.11757).

"Two other bills signed by Governor Paterson are directly aimed at protecting children: A.11500-A / S.8553 automatically revokes the teaching license of any school official who is convicted of a sex offense; A.11717 / S.6401-A establishes an advisory council to conduct a study on the connection between interactive media and real-life violence in minors exposed to such media. This bill will also require new video game consoles to have parental lockout features by 2010, and mandate that games sold at retail disclose the ratings obtained from the gaming industry's voluntary rating system.

"In addition to these bills, Governor Paterson signed another 31 bills relating to criminal justice and the judiciary, as well as education issues and business and finance.

"Additional Bills Signed Include

Criminal Justice Bills

S.3612 / A.10488 - Provides for the electronic transmission of notification of the release of an inmate convicted of a felony.

S.3614 / A.10487 - Includes the State regional park police within the definition of "law enforcement agency having jurisdiction" regarding a sex offender who resides or expects to reside in a State park.

A.9813 / S.7942 - Establishes criminal penalties for defrauding a vulnerable elderly person as defined in subdivision three of section 260.30 of the Penal Law.

S.4053 / A.8252 - Provides that a person who impersonates another by internet or electronic communication shall be guilty of a crime.

S.6466-A / A.10092-A - Makes it unlawful to be a spectator at an animal fighting even if an admission fee is not paid or a wager is not made.

S.6731 / A.9727 - Restores discretion to the Board of Parole to discharge certain persons.

S.6764 / A.9725 - Adds certain crimes to the definition of criminal act for the purposes of the Penal Law article relating to enterprise corruption.

A.2891-A / S.1653-A – Requires the Division of Criminal Justice Services to produce an instructional video educating parents on how sexual predators lure children.

A.10395-A / S7629 - Authorizes physician assistants to act as sexual assault forensic examiners for sexual offense victims.

A.10736 / S.7621 / S.6897 / A.10018 - Extends tuition waiver program for police officer students of the City University of New York.

S.7548 / A.10556 - Permits the electronic appearance of a defendant in the county of Herkimer.

Judiciary

A.8781 / S.5938 - Authorizes a three year extension of the judicial hearing officer pilot program in the family courts of the Seventh and Eighth Judicial Districts.

S.2382-B / A.10869-A - Increases the value of a small estate.

S.5091-B / A.11413-A - Provides for clarification by changing the phrase "natural" to "birth" when referencing mother, father or parents.

Business, Banking and Insurance

S.2645-B / A.7245-A - Relates to the definition of independent adjusters.

S.5138-A / A.7896-A - Relates to certain requirements for group life insurance contracts.

S.7358-A / A.11029-A - Makes technical corrections to certain provisions of the banking law; repealers.

S.7434 / A.11031 - Permits interstate de novo branching by banks.
S.7561-A / A.10403-A - Expands permissible types of property/casualty group insurance, permits new types of insurance to be written in NYS and makes section 3442 permanent.

S.8400 / A.11700 - Requires notification of the issuance, amendment or reinstatement of insurance contracts and imposes penalties for failure to notify.

A.11236 / S.7761 - Relates to making conforming changes to the banking law and insurance law to ensure consistency with changes in State and federal laws.

A.11504 / S.8642 - Exempts providers of telecommunication services with certificates of resale from excise taxes on telecommunication services.

S.6749-B / A.869-B - Relates to the accounting of certain assets.

S.7349 / A.10825 - Relates to dividends and other distribution of cash and property.

S.7350 / A.10824 - Provides that by-laws may provide the manner by which directors are elected.

Education

S.8554 / A.11513-A - Requires the commissioner of education to revoke and annul the certificates of school administrators or supervisors under certain conditions.

A.11174-A / S.8006-A - Legalizes transportation contracts for the Fredonia Central School District for the 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years.

A.11665-B / S.8125-D – Relates to the Shoreham-Wading River central school district reserve for tax reduction.

S.6452 / A.9467 - Validates certain acts of the Greater Amsterdam School District relating to the issuance of obligations to finance a capital project.

S.6722-A / A.9308-A - Legalizes, validates, ratifies and confirms certain transportation contracts of the Long Beach City School District.

S.7964-D / A.10726-D - Validates certain acts done and proceedings taken by the Avon Central School District.

S.7821 / A.10713 – Adds additional members to the board of trustees of the Fashion Institute of Technology."