BILL NUMBER: S4906
SPONSOR: FAHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to providing for certain
victim statements to be taken at their workplace instead of the police
department
 
PURPOSE:
To permit health care workers who have been assaulted on the job to give
their statements to the police at their workplace.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 adds a new subdivision 6 to section 642 of the executive law.
Section 2 provides an effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Emergency rooms are dangerous places to work. According to the New York
Times, 55% of ER physicians and 70% of ER nurses have been physically
assaulted, most often by patients, in the workplace. One third of such
assaults lead to physical injury. When the police are called to respond
to an assault in an emergency room, they generally ask the victim to
come to the police station for an interview after work. This discourages
crime reporting since many health care workers, who have stressful jobs
with long hours, decide not to follow up if an assault did not result in
a serious injury. This bill would allow the victim to choose to be
interviewed by the police at work rather than having to make a separate
trip to the police station to report the crime against them.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: S.8916/A.9327
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become a law.

Statutes affected:
S4906: 642 executive law