Source: http://www.opdv.ny.gov/law/summ_year/sum15.html
Timestamp: 2018-03-21 11:13:03
Document Index: 113817411

Matched Legal Cases: ['§459', '§153', '§212', '§648', '§6439', '§232', '§64', '§207', '§19']

2015 New York State Domestic Violence and Related Laws - NYS OPDV
Service Animals in Shelter – A.6626 Rosenthal / S.5372 Carlucci
Establishes the right of a domestic violence victim entering a residential domestic violence program to be accompanied by a service animal or therapy dog, as defined in NYS Agriculture and Markets Law. This bill was signed into law, based on an agreement between the Governor and Legislature, to amend the law to allow for reasonable accommodations addressing the health and safety needs of adults and children already residing in shelter, such as individuals who may have allergies or a fear of animals. (see “Legislative Summaries by Year 2016” for the amendment)
Signed: December 28, 2015 Chapter 584
Amends: Social Services Law §459-b
Establishes a pilot program in several Family Courts to allow the electronic filing of petitions and issuing of temporary orders of protection by audio-visual means. This will provide emergency relief for victims who find traveling to, or appearing in, the courthouse, an undue hardship or a risk to their safety.
Signed: October 21, 2015 Chapter 367
Amends: Family Court Act §153-c; Judiciary Law §212(2) new paragraph (t); Executive Law §648
Amends: Education Law by creating a new Article 129-B (§§6439 – 6449); Civil Practice Laws & Rules R3016; Executive Law by adding a new §232
Prohibits discrimination in housing based on domestic violence status. Includes renting, terms or conditions of rental and eviction.
Establishes a task force to study the impact of source of income and gender on access to housing. The task force will also review the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan, including voucher portability and its impact on domestic violence victims, and make recommendations for improvement.
Orders of Protection in Sexual Assault/Probation Sentences- A.1797-A Paulin/ S.4340-B Serino
Establishes the maximum length of an order of protection in sexual assault cases where the sentence is, or includes, probation. The maximum length of an order issued in criminal felony sexual assault convictions, including cases where the defendant and victim are family/household members, is fixed at ten years. In misdemeanor sexual assault convictions the maximum length of an order of protection will be fixed at six years. This corrects an inconsistency created when the law was changed in 2006 to extend the permissible duration of orders of protection in all crimes. Prior to 2006, the law already required longer probation sentences for sexual assault convictions. Without the correction, orders of protection could have expired before a defendant had completed a probation sentence.
Signed: September 22, 2015 Chapter 240
Legal Name Change Protection - A.2242 Bronson/S.5240 Savino
Provides greater protection for domestic violence victims seeking a legal name change. Previously, the law allowed a waiver of the requirement to publish a name change in a designated newspaper, if the court found that publishing would jeopardize the person’s safety. This law expands the protection to clarify that the totality of the person’s circumstances must be taken into consideration when determining the threat to safety and that specific instances or a history of threats to personal safety are not required.
Signed: September 22, 2015 Chapter 241
Effective: September 22, 2015
Amends: Civil Rights Law §64-a
Signed: August 13, 2015 Chapter 104
Workplace Sexual Harassment Protections - A.5360 Galef/S.2 Valesky
Expands protections against sexual harassment by an employer to include all employers in New York State. Previously, the law covered employers with four or more employees.
Signed: October 21, 2015 Chapter 418
Amends: Public Health Law §207(1) new paragraph
Effective: January 23, 2016 for October 25, 2015 for temporary maintenance awards in matrimonial actions
Increased Maximum Length of Criminal Orders of Protection – Extension
Extends for two more years, until September 1, 2017, the increased maximum length of criminal court orders of protection. Maximum lengths: eight years for a felony conviction, five years for a misdemeanor conviction and two years for all other offenses/violations.
Signed: 2015 Chapter 55 – Budget Bill: §19 of Part B