Requires the education commissioner to establish standards requiring that one hour of the three hours of coursework or training required of certain specified health care professionals regarding the identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment include information regarding the relationship between child abuse and domestic violence and the identification of behavioral and physical indicators of domestic violence.

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S978A-2011 Actions

• Mar 7, 2012: PRINT NUMBER 978A
• Mar 7, 2012: AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HIGHER EDUCATION
• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION
• Jan 5, 2011: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

S978A-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S978A

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the education law, in relation to training regarding domestic
violence

PURPOSE OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to expand existing educational mediums to
include training of medical professionals in the recognition of the
physical and behavioral indicators of domestic violence and elder
abuse.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill would amend paragraph (a) of subdivision 3 of
6507 of the Education Law, as amended by Chapter 356 of the laws of
2006 to include additional requirements to the ones set forth in (a).

� 6507(3) (a) as amended in 1989 mandates that medical professionals
who are covered under the mandatory child abuse reporting law receive
two (2) hours of coursework or training regarding the identification
and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment. This bill would add a
third hour to that two hour course, and mandate that third hour be
spent discussing the identification of the symptoms of domestic
violence and elder abuse.

JUSTIFICATION:
Child abuse does not generally occur in isolation. Rather, it often
occurs as part of a larger cycle of domestic violence that includes
adults, including spouses, parents, and grandparents. Medical
professionals are presently required to undergo a two hour training
course for the identification of the physical and behavioral
indicators of child abuse. It is most appropriate that this course be
the forum for a summary treatment of the identification of domestic
violence and elder abuse.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
1994    - Passed Assembly
1995    - Referred to Higher Education
1996    - Referred to Higher Education
1997    - Referred to Higher Education
1998    - Amend and Recommit to Higher Education
2000-01 - A.2070 Referred to Higher Education
2003-04 - A.1049/S.3659 Referred to Higher Education
2005-06 - A.4287 Referred to Higher Education; S.3783 Referred to
          Higher Education
2007-08 - S.8764 - Referred to Rules
2009-10 - S.5258A/A.8675 (Jaffee) - Referred to Higher Education

FISCAL IMPACT:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S978A-2011 Text

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

                                   978--A

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 5, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sens.  HASSELL-THOMPSON,  DIAZ, DUANE, HUNTLEY, KRUEGER,
    OPPENHEIMER, PARKER,  PERKINS,  SAMPSON,  SAVINO  --  read  twice  and
    ordered  printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
    Higher Education -- recommitted to the Committee on  Higher  Education
    in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill
    amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
    tee

  AN ACT to amend the education law, in  relation  to  training  regarding
    domestic violence

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


    Section 1. Paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 6507 of the  educa-
  tion  law,  as amended by chapter 356 of the laws of 2006, is amended to
  read as follows:

    a. Establish standards for preprofessional and professional education,
  experience and licensing examinations as required to implement the arti-
  cle for each profession. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
  commissioner shall establish standards requiring that all persons apply-
  ing, on or after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-one,  initially,
  or for the renewal of, a license, registration or limited permit to be a
  physician,  chiropractor, dentist, registered nurse, podiatrist, optome-
  trist,  psychiatrist,  psychologist,  licensed  master  social   worker,
  licensed  clinical  social  worker,  licensed  creative  arts therapist,
  licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed mental  health  counse-
  lor,  licensed  psychoanalyst, or dental hygienist shall, in addition to
  all the other licensure,  certification  or  permit  requirements,  have
  completed  [two]  THREE  hours  of  coursework or training regarding the
  identification and reporting of child  abuse  [and],  maltreatment,  AND
  DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.  The coursework or training shall be obtained from an
  institution  or  provider  which  has been approved by the department to

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD03987-02-2

 S. 978--A                           2

  provide such coursework or training. The coursework  or  training  shall
  include  information regarding the physical and behavioral indicators of
  child abuse [and], maltreatment, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE and the statutory
  reporting requirements set out in sections four hundred thirteen through
  four hundred twenty of the social services law, including but not limit-
  ed to, when and how a report must be made, what other actions the repor-
  ter  is  mandated  or authorized to take, the legal protections afforded
  reporters, and the consequences for failing to report.  THE COMMISSIONER
  SHALL ESTABLISH STANDARDS REQUIRING THAT BEGINNING  JANUARY  FIRST,  TWO
  THOUSAND  THIRTEEN,  ONE  HOUR OF THE THREE COURSEWORK OR TRAINING HOURS
  SHALL INCLUDE  INFORMATION  REGARDING  THE  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN  CHILD
  ABUSE,  MALTREATMENT,  AND  DOMESTIC  VIOLENCE AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF
  BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL INDICATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE  AS  DEFINED  IN
  SECTION  FOUR  HUNDRED  FIFTY-NINE-A  OF  THE  SOCIAL SERVICES LAW. Such
  coursework or training may also include information regarding the  phys-
  ical  and  behavioral indicators of the abuse of individuals with mental
  retardation and other developmental disabilities and voluntary reporting
  of abused or neglected adults to the office of  mental  retardation  and
  developmental  disabilities or the local adult protective services unit.
  Each applicant shall provide the department with  documentation  showing
  that he or she has completed the required training. The department shall
  provide  an  exemption  from  the  child  abuse [and], maltreatment, AND
  DOMESTIC VIOLENCE training requirements to any  applicant  who  requests
  such  an exemption and who shows, to the department's satisfaction, that
  there would be no need because of the nature of his or her practice  for
  him or her to complete such training;
    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.