Committee Legislative Successes – 2024 NYS Legislative Session

Bills Supported by City Bar Committees Signed into Law

• Safe Landings Act (A.9321-B AM Hevesi / S.8724-B Sen. Hoylman-Sigal, Chp. 664, Approval Memo 90) – Authorizes the Family Court to adjudicate motions to enforce orders that were issued on behalf of children while they were in foster care, after they are discharged from or age out of care. Specifically, the amendments apply to youth between the ages of 18 and 21 who have been discharged from foster care and those who have aged out of care after turning 21, and who, due to the failure of the foster care agencies to timely comply with validly entered Family Court orders, are still in need of stable housing and/or receipt of other necessary services for their transition to adulthood. This bill was supported by the Children and the Law Committee  and the Council on Children. 

• Adoption Subsidy Fraud Bill (A.3580-A AM Hevesi / S.8745 Sen. Persaud, Chp. 611, Approval Memo 53) – Addresses the monthly subsidy provided to virtually all parents who adopt children out of foster care to help them provide for the child’s needs following the adoption. The new law creates a mechanism to help ensure that adoption subsidies are used for the care and maintenance of children, as mandated by the Social Services Law, by providing that the subsidies terminate or be transferred when the adoptive parent is no longer supporting the child.  This bill was supported by the Children and the Law Committee  and the Council on Children. 

• Ensuring accurate information in child abuse and neglect proceedings in Family Court (A.7348 AM Dickens / S.9745 Sen. Brisport, Chp. 621, Approval Memo 59) – Ensures that when parents consent to findings in Family Court Act, Article 10 proceedings, they receive accurate information concerning the findings’ collateral consequences at the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. Currently, Section 1015(f) of the Family Court Act leaves jurists without any option except to provide inadequate warnings to litigants. The bill was supported by the Family Court and Family Law Committee.
• Supplemental spousal liability insurance (A.9407-A AM Weprin / S.9021-A Sen. Breslin, Chp. 356) – Will require automobile insurance carriers to offer supplemental spousal liability coverage to married persons on an opt-out basis, and to unmarried persons on an opt-in basis. The new law will sensibly restrict the opt-out regime to married insureds, while making it clear that unmarried persons will not be required to accept this unwanted and unnecessary coverage or pay for it simply because they fail to fill out a form. This bill was supported by the Insurance Law Committee.

• Authorizing stand-alone business interruption insurance (A.10342 AM Burgos / S.9481 Sen. Mayer, Chp. 369) – Will allow insurers to sell business interruption insurance that is not tied to physical damage, which businesses could purchase in the event of future pandemics or other events where there may not be physical damage to the property, such as an active shooter threat.  This bill was supported by the Insurance Law Committee, however the Committee raised a concern with the bill’s definition of business interruption insurance that appears to be inconsistent with the Memorandum of Support and that could lead to confusion or unintended loss of coverage.  Unfortunately the Committee’s recommendation was not adopted and the bill was enacted as-is.

Bills Opposed by City Bar Committees and Vetoed 

• Notary Exemptions (A.7241-A AM Lavine / S.8663 Sen. Hoylman-Sigal, Vetoed Memo 36) –  Would have exempted non-electronic notarizations from being recorded or maintained in a notarial record by rescinding 19 NYCRR 182.9, a critical notarial rule designed to protect New Yorkers against deed fraud and other forgeries. The Commercial Law and Uniform State Laws Committee opposed this legislation.

Other

• No Cap Act (A.5366 AM Bores / S.5414 Sen. Hoylman-Sigal) – The Council on Judicial Administration supported first passage of a Constitutional amendment that would remove the population-based cap on the number of Supreme Court justices that can serve a particular judicial district. The Amendment will need to pass both houses of the Legislature again before it can be put before the voters in a referendum to see if it will be adopted.  This bill was a 2024 New York State Legislative Agenda item. 

Learn More!

2024 New York State Legislative Session Wrap Up 

2023-24 Committee Year Highlights

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