State Senate Children and Families Committee refers seven bills, lays one aside

On March 10 the state Senate’s Children and Families Committee met and moved seven bills forward or referred them to other committees, the chair said. "We have a 7 bill agenda today," the committee chair said at the start of the session.

The most prominent measures included S179, which would amend the Social Services Law to allow an allowance for the cost of diapers; S878b, which would amend the Family Court Act and the Criminal Procedure Law on custodial interrogation of juveniles; S2001, relating to child-care assistance and the child-care block grant; and S7318, which would set caseload standards for child protective services workers.

Why it matters: Several of the bills would affect delivery and oversight of child welfare and child-care services statewide and could carry fiscal implications that triggered referrals to the Finance Committee. Other measures would change how juvenile interrogations or juvenile residential facilities are monitored.

What happened, by bill: - S179 (diaper allowance): The bill was read into the record as an amendment to the Social Services Law to provide allowances for diaper costs. "Thank you again for putting this on the agenda, and hopefully this year, we'll be both houses will agree and send it off to the governor," a committee member said. The motion to move the bill was seconded and the item was referred to the Finance Committee.

- S878b (custodial interrogation of juveniles): The bill, described as amending the Family Court Act and the Criminal Procedure Law, drew brief discussion and recorded opposition: after motions were made there were two negative votes reported and the item was referred to the Codes Committee.

- S2001 (child-care assistance / block grant): Introduced and seconded with no additional remarks recorded; referred to the Finance Committee.

- S5437 (remote training for agency personnel): Read as an amendment to the Social Services Law to permit prospective and current agency personnel to complete training remotely. The clerk recorded the motion was moved and seconded; the bill was referred to Finance.

- S6225 (inspections and opioid-overdose prevention): The bill would amend Social Services Law to address inspections of child day cares, programs and facilities and opioid overdose prevention. A committee member voiced support and referenced a recent child fatality in the Bronx, calling the situation "tragic." The motion carried to refer the bill to Finance.

- S6753 (laid aside): The sponsor laid this bill aside pending a future amendment; the chair said it will appear on a future agenda and the item was skipped for this meeting.

- S7117 (Correctional Association inspections of juvenile residential facilities): Read as an amendment to the Executive Law, it was moved and seconded. The clerk reported one "AWR" and two "nay" votes on collected voting sheets; based on the sheets available the item was referred to Finance.

- S7318 (caseload standards for child protective services workers): Introduced, seconded and moved by a committee member; the transcript records the motion and second but does not record a vote or referral outcome for this item.

Procedure and next steps: Most bills were referred to the Finance Committee for further review; S878b was referred to Codes; one bill was laid aside for amendment. The chair closed the brief meeting after roughly four minutes.

The committee did not record full roll-call vote tallies for every motion in the available transcript; where individual vote results were noted in the record those counts are reflected above.