BILL NUMBER: S1056
SPONSOR: SERRANO
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law and the executive law, in
relation to the provision of criminal history background checks free of
charge to mentoring programs operated by not-for-profit corporations
 
PURPOSE:
To direct the Division of Criminal Justice Services to provide criminal
background checks to not-forprofit mentoring programs free of charge.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends Subdivision 4 of section 390-e of the
social services law to provide that there shall be no processing fee for
criminal background checks requested by not-for-profit mentoring
programs.
Section 2 amends subdivision 8-a of section 837 of the executive law to
provide that the Division of Criminal Justice Services shall not request
or accept any fee for conducting criminal background checks for not-for-
profit mentoring programs.
Section 3 amends subdivision 1 of section 390-e of the social services
law to include mentoring programs such as corporations which have been
incorporated pursuant to subparagraph five of paragraph (a) of section
102 of the not-for-profit corporation law or section 102 of the business
corporation law, educational institutions or school districts, and youth
sports programs.
Section 4 provides the effective date.
 
EXISTING LAW:
Not-for-profit-mentoring programs are currently assessed a fee for crim-
inal background checks.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Youth mentoring programs provide a needed service in our communities.
They match troubled or at-risk youth with positive adult role models in
long-term mentoring friendships for the purpose of guiding them through
difficult life decisions and circumstances. However, not-for-profit
mentoring programs have very limited resources, and the cost of criminal
background checks can be prohibitive. This bill would allow not-for-pro-
fit mentoring programs to avoid the fee associated with a background
check, thus allowing the organization to dedicate its scarce resources
to provide service to the community.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: S1605 - Passed Senate. Delivered to Assembly- referred to children
and families
2023: S.1605 - Passed Senate. Delivered to Assembly. Died in Assembly.
2021-22: S.1488 - Passed Senate
2020: S.6023 - Reported to Finance
2019: S.6023 - Passed Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the 60 days after it shall become law.

Statutes affected:
S1056: 390-e social services law, 390-e(4) social services law, 837 executive law, 837(8-a) executive law, 390-e(1) social services law