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A03461 Summary:

A03461 Actions:

A03461 Floor Votes:

A03461 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A3461C
 
SPONSOR: Magnarelli

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to enacting "Peter
Falk's law" relating to guardianship duties
 
 
PURPOSE:
 
This legislation is designed to protect the rights of relatives of a
person currently under a guardianship. It requires the court in the
initial guardianship order to identify persons entitled to receive
notice of the incapacitated person's death, funeral and burial arrange-
ments. It allows the court to identify persons entitled to notice if the
incapacitated person is transferred to a medical facility. It also
allows those entitled to visit the incapacitated person to be identified
in the order.
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
 
Section 1: This act shall be known and may be cited as "Peter Falk's
law".
 
Section 2: Amends section 81.16 of the Mental Hygiene Law by adding
three new paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 dealing with the "order of appointment"
for a. guardianship. Paragraph 4 requires the order to identify
person(s) entitled to receive notice of the incapacitated person's
death, funeral and burial arrangements. Paragraph 5 allows the order to
identify person(s) entitled to receive notice if the incapacitated
person is transferred to a medical facility. Paragraph 6 allows the
order to identify person(s) entitled to Visit the incapacitated person;
however, this shall not limit the persons entitled to visit the incapac-
itated person.
 
Section 3: Establishes the effective date.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:

Recently there have been high profile cases in which adult children from
a previous marriage have been denied the right to visit their incapaci-
tated parent by the current spouse. These can be very contentious situ-
ations that deny adult children the opportunity to see an ill parent
before their death. A recent example of this involved the death of actor
Peter Falk. His children were also not notified of major changes in
their father's condition and of funeral/burial arrangements after his
death.
 
This legislation would make changes to the law regarding the "order of
appointment" for a guardianship to protect the rights of adult children
and other relatives. It would require the order to identify those enti-
tled to notice of the incapacitated person's death, funeral and burial
arrangements. It would allow the order to identify anyone entitled to
notice of the person's transfer to a medical facility.  Finally, the
order can identify those entitled to visit the incapacitated person.
 
The goal of these changes is to have the court deal with notice and
visitation issues in the initial "order of appointment" to protect the
rights of relatives and those close to the incapacitated person.  This
should help to prevent a guardian from improperly isolating the incapac-
itated person, or limiting their visitation rights without court
approval.
 
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
New Bill.
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
None.
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

A03461 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         3461--C
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 23, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. MAGNARELLI, RIVERA, STIRPE, GOTTFRIED, CRESPO,
          GALEF, ROBINSON, FAHY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GLICK,  MAGEE,
          MARKEY,  SIMON,  STECK  --  read once and referred to the Committee on
          Judiciary -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted  as
          amended  and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --  recommitted to the
          Committee on Judiciary in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec.  2  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee -- again reported  from  said  committee
          with  amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
          committee
 
        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to  enacting  "Peter
          Falk's law" relating to guardianship duties
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as  "Peter  Falk's
     2  law".
     3    §  2.  Subdivision  (c)  of section 81.16 of the mental hygiene law is
     4  amended by adding three new paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 to read as follows:
     5    4. The order of appointment shall identify  the  persons  entitled  to
     6  receive  notice of the incapacitated person's death, the intended dispo-
     7  sition of the remains of the decedent, funeral  arrangements  and  final
     8  resting place when that information is known or can be reasonably ascer-
     9  tained by the guardian.
    10    5.  The  order of appointment may identify the person or persons enti-
    11  tled to notice of the  incapacitated  person's  transfer  to  a  medical
    12  facility.
    13    6. The order of appointment may identify the persons entitled to visit
    14  the incapacitated person, if they so choose. However, the identification
    15  of  such persons in the order shall in no way limit the persons entitled
    16  to visit the incapacitated person.
    17    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07225-08-6