NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9481
SPONSOR: Hevesi TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to information
required to be provided in calls made to the statewide central register
of child abuse and maltreatment; and to amend a chapter of the laws of
2025 amending the social services law relating to the administration of
the statewide central register of child abuse and maltreatment, as
proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 550-A and A. 66-A, in relation
to the effectiveness thereof
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to make clarifying, technical, and conform-
ing amendments to provisions governing reports made to the Statewide
Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR).
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill would amend the social services law and Chapter 668 of the
Laws of 2025 by:
*specifying that the SCR may not transmit a report to a local child
protective service if a caller declines to provide their name and
contact information unless the SCR reasonably believes the caller is a
child under the age of eighteen;
*removing unnecessary language on authorized disclosures that contra-
dicts existing statute;
*requiring that callers who decline to provide identifying information
be connected with a supervisor and informed of statutory confidentiality
protections, available preventive and supportive services, and penalties
for knowingly making false or baseless allegations;
*removing language that directs callers to specific external referral
programs; and
*making technical and conforming changes to effective date provisions to
ensure consistency with the underlying chapter.
JUSTIFICATION:
Anonymous reporting to the SCR is a flawed and unnecessary policy that
harms thousands of New York families each year. Parents placed under
investigation because of an anonymous report are more than twice as
likely to be cleared of any wrongdoing as are parents investigated
because of other report types.
(1) This extremely high error rate has real consequences: over 10,000
New York families a year - mostly families of color - have endured
lengthy, invasive and traumatic investigations on the basis of anonymous
reports, all to eventually be absolved of wrongdoing.
(2) The majority of people who call the state hotline to report
suspected abuse or neglect are mandated reporters, who are required to
give their name and contact information. However, an ordinary person who
calls is not currently required to do so. State law requires child
protective services to conduct an extensive investigation of every alle-
gation of child abuse or neglect, whether or not there is any evidence
for the claim, and even if the report is clearly part of a pattern of
harassment.
This bill will significantly reduce the number of intentionally false
calls to the state's central register by requiring that every caller
provide their name and contact information when making a report to the
hotline. This information would be kept confidential from the public and
from the person accused of abuse or neglect, while allowing child
welfare investigators to conduct a full and more reliable investigation.
This simple and common-sense solution will protect callers' privacy by
maintaining the confidentiality of individuals making reports while
discouraging maliciously false reports. It will help shield families
from unwarranted investigations and improve the accuracy, efficiency,
and integrity of child welfare investigations. Confidential reporting
accomplishes the same privacy goals as anonymous reporting while greatly
reducing the risk of intentionally false reports.
Chapter 668 of the Laws of 2025 enacted reforms to the administration of
the SCR to improve the reporting process and reduce unnecessary or harm-
ful investigations while maintaining protections for children.
However, amendments were necessary to clarify the circumstances under
which reports may be transmitted when a caller declines to provide iden-
tifying information, to more clearly delineate the responsibilities of
the Central Register and its supervisors in such instances, and to
ensure that callers receive accurate information regarding confidential-
ity protections, available supportive services, and the consequences of
knowingly making false or baseless reports. Additional technical and
conforming amendments were also required to align statutory language and
effective date provisions with the structure and operation of the under-
lying law.
These amendments are necessary to ensure the statute is implemented
clearly, consistently, and as intended.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is new legislation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that sections
one and two of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the
same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the social
services law relating to the administration of the statewide central
register of child abuse and maltreatment, as proposed in legislative
bills numbers S.550-A and A.66-A.
