Senate Bill S4264

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Prohibits the making of decisions concerning guardianship, custody or visitation or adoption petitions solely on the basis of a parent's, guardian's or custodian's blindness

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2015-S4264 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A5069
Current Committee:
Senate Children And Families
Law Section:
Domestic Relations Law
Laws Affected:
Add §§75-m & 111-d, Dom Rel L; add §§643 & 658, Fam Ct Act; add §393, Soc Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2013-2014: A9371
2017-2018: S3266, A1071
2019-2020: S4536, A1721
2021-2022: S4407, A2113

2015-S4264 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits the making of decisions concerning guardianship, custody or visitation or adoption petitions solely on the basis of a parent's, guardian's or custodian's blindness; prohibits the department of social services from denying, deciding or opposing a petition or request for guardianship, custody or visitation solely because the petitioner is blind and prohibits the department of social services from taking actions solely because a parent, custodian or guardian is blind.

2015-S4264 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S4264 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4264

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             March 11, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families

AN ACT to amend the domestic relations law and the family court act,  in
  relation  to  prohibiting the making of decisions concerning guardian-
  ship, custody or visitation or adoption petitions solely on the  basis
  of  a  parent's, guardian's or custodian's blindness; and to amend the
  social services law, in relation  to  prohibiting  the  department  of
  social  services  from  denying,  deciding  or  opposing a petition or
  request for guardianship, custody or  visitation  solely  because  the
  petitioner  is blind and to prohibiting a local social services agency
  from taking actions solely because a parent, custodian or guardian  is
  blind

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

  Section 1. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as  the  "blind
persons right to parent act".
  S 2. Legislative intent. The legislature finds the following:
  a. All blind Americans have the right to found a family, to freely and
responsibly  decide  on the number and spacing of their children, and to
retain the custody of their offspring on an  equal  basis  with  others.
This  right  to  parent is rooted in the due process clause of the Four-
teenth Amendment; however, blind people  are  often  stripped  of  these
constitutional rights when state statutes, judicial decisions, and child
welfare  practices  are based on the presumption that blindness automat-
ically means parental incompetence.
  b. The presumption that blindness automatically means parental  incom-
petence is a misconception. Given the proper tools and education, blind-
ness  can be reduced to a physical nuisance. Because many sighted people
do not understand the techniques that blind  people  use  to  accomplish
everyday  tasks,  sighted  judges,  social  workers,  and state official
assume that those tasks cannot be completed by a blind  person.    Using

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06111-01-5
              

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