Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee advances nine bills on reentry, notice and college applications

At a meeting of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, committee members considered nine bills addressing services and information for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, notification requirements, and higher-education application questions.

The committee advanced most items to the next step in the legislative process; several votes and committee referrals were recorded on the floor during the session.

Why it matters: These bills affect the information and services available to people in custody and on reentry—covering priority status for trafficking victims seeking assistance, conditional release tied to postsecondary programs, screening for SNAP benefits before release, notification of deaths in custody, and information provided at discharge. Several measures were referred to other committees for further consideration.

S.1645 (priority status for human-trafficking victims): The committee clerk read S.1645, an act amending the Executive Law to provide priority status to victims of human trafficking for receipt of certain assistance. Senator Jamaal Bailey moved the bill; Senator Parkin seconded. The committee recorded the vote and the item was advanced; the clerk stated, “The bill is recorded.”

S.2508 (conditional release for offenders completing postsecondary programs): The clerk read S.2508, an act to amend the Correction Law to allow conditional release for eligible offenders who complete postsecondary degrees or programs. Senator Parkin moved the bill; Senator Bailey seconded. Senator Dean Murray registered opposition on the record during the vote. The clerk reported the bill as reported to the Finance Committee.

S.2509 (repeal of certain transfer provisions): The committee considered S.2509, a proposal to repeal provisions of the Correction Law relating to transfer of individuals from county jails to state correctional institutions. Senator Bailey moved the bill; Senator Harkin seconded. Senator Murray opposed on the record; the clerk said the bill was reported to finance.

S.3795 (college pre-admission questions): S.3795 would amend the Correction Law and Executive Law to prohibit colleges from asking about an applicant’s prior arrests or convictions during pre-admissions. The measure drew substantive comment from Senator Murray, who said he opposed removing access to applicants’ prior records and noted what he characterized as inconsistent treatment of executive-branch actions. Senator Bailey moved the bill; Senator Harkin seconded. The committee reported S.3795 to the Higher Education Committee.

S.5037 (visiting policies): The clerk read S.5037, an act to amend the Correction Law to establish visiting policies for incarcerated individuals. A motion was made and seconded; the vote was recorded with at least one negative vote noted by the clerk. The clerk recorded the vote on the bill.

S.5265 (SNAP screening before release): S.5265 would amend the Correction Law to require screening of incarcerated individuals for eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program prior to release. Senators on the committee spoke in favor during discussion, with Senator Jamaal Bailey emphasizing that “everybody deserves to eat,” and arguing that screening helps people succeed on release. The motion to move the bill was approved and the clerk reported the bill as recorded.

S.5680 (notice of death in custody): S.5680 would require notice of the death of an incarcerated individual occurring in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The committee clarified that the department must notify the next of kin first and — once next of kin have been notified or a reasonable attempt made — disclose the death to the public within 24 hours after the next-of-kin notification. Following that explanation, Senator Murray said the clarification altered his vote intention; the motion was moved and the clerk recorded the bill as reported.

S.5701 (discharge plans and reentry services for wrongfully convicted individuals): The clerk read S.5701, which would require the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to establish discharge plans and reentry services for wrongfully convicted individuals upon discharge. The motion to move the bill was approved and the vote recorded.

S.6365 (information provided upon release): S.6365 would amend the Correction Law to specify certain information provided to incarcerated individuals on release, including notice of fees associated with debit cards issued at discharge. Senator Dean Murray asked whether some of that information is already provided in pamphlets and suggested highlighting the most relevant items rather than creating duplicate notifications. Senator Murray noted that many people may not read full pamphlets and suggested emphasizing fee disclosures. The motion to move the bill was made, seconded and the clerk recorded the vote.

Votes at a glance: The committee processed nine bills. Several were advanced to other committees (for example, S.2508 and S.2509 were reported to Finance; S.3795 was reported to Higher Education). The clerk repeatedly used the phrase “the bill is recorded” or “the bill is reported” after votes; where individual votes were recorded on the transcript, Senator Dean Murray is identified as having registered opposition on multiple items. The committee did not adopt any final floor amendments during the meeting.

Procedure and next steps: Most bills were moved out of the committee for further consideration; specific committee referrals were announced on the record for some bills. No bills were enacted at the meeting; the recorded actions move the measures forward in the legislative process.

Transcripts and evidence: Committee clerk Julia Feder read each bill aloud on the record; votes and referrals were announced by Chair Gleyas Alazar and recorded in the session minutes and transcript.

Ending note: The committee concluded after processing nine agenda items. Several senators requested clarifications during debate and suggested possible technical amendments in follow-up committees; the clerks and chair recorded those concerns as part of the official record.