A 4548: Requires the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment by certain employees of the metropolitan transportation authority; requires such employees to complete coursework or training regarding the identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4548 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law and the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment by certain employees of the metropolitan trans- portation authority The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social 2 services law, as amended by chapter 733 of the laws of 2023, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 (a) The following persons and officials are required to report or 5 cause a report to be made in accordance with this title when they have 6 reasonable cause to suspect that a child coming before them in their 7 professional or official capacity is an abused or maltreated child, or 8 when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is an abused or 9 maltreated child where the parent, guardian, custodian or other person 10 legally responsible for such child comes before them in their profes- 11 sional or official capacity and states from personal knowledge facts, 12 conditions or circumstances which, if correct, would render the child an 13 abused or maltreated child: any physician; registered physician assist- 14 ant; surgeon; medical examiner; coroner; dentist; dental hygienist; 15 osteopath; optometrist; chiropractor; podiatrist; resident; intern; 16 athletic trainer; psychologist; registered nurse; social worker; emer- 17 gency medical technician; licensed creative arts therapist; licensed 18 marriage and family therapist; licensed mental health counselor; 19 licensed psychoanalyst; licensed behavior analyst; certified behavior 20 analyst assistant; hospital personnel engaged in the admission, examina- 21 tion, care or treatment of persons; a Christian Science practitioner; 22 school official, which includes but is not limited to school teacher, 23 school guidance counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08040-01-5 
 A. 4548 2 1 school nurse, school administrator or other school personnel required to 2 hold a teaching or administrative license or certificate; full or part- 3 time compensated school employee required to hold a temporary coaching 4 license or professional coaching certificate; social services worker; 5 employee of a publicly-funded emergency shelter for families with chil- 6 dren; director of a children's overnight camp, summer day camp or trav- 7 eling summer day camp, as such camps are defined in section thirteen 8 hundred ninety-two of the public health law; day care center worker; 9 school-age child care worker; provider of family or group family day 10 care; employee or volunteer in a residential care facility for children 11 that is licensed, certified or operated by the office of children and 12 family services; or any other child care or foster care worker; mental 13 health professional; substance abuse counselor; alcoholism counselor; 14 all persons credentialed by the office of alcoholism and substance abuse 15 services; employees, who are expected to have regular and substantial 16 contact with children, of a health home or health home care management 17 agency contracting with a health home as designated by the department of 18 health and authorized under section three hundred sixty-five-l of this 19 chapter or such employees who provide home and community based services 20 under a demonstration program pursuant to section eleven hundred fifteen 21 of the federal social security act who are expected to have regular and 22 substantial contact with children; peace officer; police officer; 23 district attorney or assistant district attorney; investigator employed 24 in the office of a district attorney; or other law enforcement official; 25 or any employees of the metropolitan transportation authority who are 26 expected to have regular contact with children. 27 § 2. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 28 1266-n to read as follows: 29 § 1266-n. Training in the reporting of suspected cases of child abuse 30 and maltreatment. 1. Every employee of the authority required to report 31 child abuse or maltreatment, pursuant to subdivision one of section four 32 hundred thirteen of the social services law, shall, prior to assumption 33 of the position which requires such reporting, complete two hours of 34 coursework or training regarding the identification and reporting of 35 child abuse and maltreatment; provided that every employee holding such 36 a position on or before the effective date of this section shall 37 complete such coursework or training within one year of the effective 38 date of this section. Employees shall complete two hours of subsequent 39 coursework or training not less than once every two years. 40 2. The office of children and family services shall approve and/or 41 establish the coursework and training required to implement the 42 provisions of this section. Such coursework and training may be devel- 43 oped so that it can be offered through various means including, but not 44 limited to, internet-based courses and teleconferences. 45 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 46 it shall have become a law; provided, however that if chapter 733 of the 47 laws of 2023 shall not have taken effect on or before such date then 48 section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the 49 same manner as such chapter of the laws of 2023, takes effect.