Actions

Meetings

Votes

Memo

BILL NUMBER:S2000

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to requiring video cameras in facilities operated by the office for people with developmental disabilities

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:  To allow the Office for people with Developmental Disabilities to place video cameras on the entrance and exit of all facilities.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 - Amends the mental hygiene law to provide that, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, including group homes, residential homes, inpatient facilities, and all other facilities to install video cameras at all entrances and exits; to ensure safety the commissioner, in consultation with the State police, shall develop a system for maintaining such recorded images.

Section 2 - This act shall take effect immediately.

JUSTIFICATION:  This act shall informally be known as "Paula's Law" for Paula Liblick a 61 year old OPWDD resident in a group home in the Hudson Valley.  Ms. Liblick was assaulted and raped by a intruder to the home but since no mechanism existed to catalogue visitors to the home, no suspects were identified except for the two long-term staff at the home. Also, recently the New York Times ran a series of stories entitled "At State Run Homes, Abuse and Impunity" which highlighted many of the problems in the state run homes, facilities and programs.

We have cameras recording information on visitors to many public buildings and institutions in an effort to protect the residents and property at these sites. So, certainly, the residents and participants of the state run OPWDD programs, who are society's most vulnerable, deserve to be protected in the same manner.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:  2011-12: S.4817 - Referred to Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately.

Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________

2000

2013-2014 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

(PREFILED)

January 9, 2013
___________

Introduced  by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Develop-
  mental Disabilities

AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to  requiring  video
  cameras  in facilities operated by the office for people with develop-
  mental disabilities

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Section  13.25  of  the  mental hygiene law is amended by
adding a new subdivision (c) to read as follows:
  (C) FACILITIES OPERATED BY THE OFFICE, INCLUDING GROUP HOMES, RESIDEN-
TIAL HOMES, INPATIENT FACILITIES AND ALL  OTHER  FACILITIES  UNDER  THIS
TITLE  SHALL  INSTALL  VIDEO  CAMERAS  AT  ALL  ENTRANCES AND EXITS. THE
COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE STATE  POLICE,  SHALL  DEVELOP  A
SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING SUCH RECORDED IMAGES.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02682-01-3