S 155: Requires nonresident visitor sex offenders and registered sex offenders register when temporarily residing within the state; requires short-term rental hosts and short-term rental hosting platforms inform nearby property owners when nonresident visitor sex offenders and registered sex offenders are staying in the unit.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 155 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PALUMBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction AN ACT to amend the correction law and the general business law, in relation to requiring nonresident visitor sex offenders and registered sex offenders register when temporarily residing within the state The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 168-a of the correction law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 19 to read as follows: 3 19. "Nonresident visitor" or "nonresident visitor sex offender" means 4 any person required to register as a sex offender in another jurisdic- 5 tion who is temporarily residing within the state, following the process 6 set forth by such other jurisdiction, regardless of the length of stay 7 of such person. 8 § 2. Subdivision 6 of section 168-f of the correction law, as added by 9 chapter 11 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows: 10 6. (a) Any nonresident worker [or], nonresident student or nonresident 11 visitor, as defined in subdivisions fourteen [and], fifteen and nineteen 12 of section one hundred sixty-eight-a of this article, shall register 13 [his or her] their current address and the address of [his or her] their 14 place of employment [or], educational institution attended or the 15 address of their temporary residence and length of stay at such resi- 16 dence with the division within ten calendar days after such nonresident 17 worker [or], nonresident student or nonresident visitor commences 18 employment [or], attendance at an educational institution or stay at a 19 temporary residence in the state. Any nonresident worker [or], nonresi- 20 dent student or nonresident visitor shall notify the division of any 21 change of residence, employment or educational institution address no 22 later than ten days after such change. The division shall notify the law EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00612-01-5 
 S. 155 2 1 enforcement agency where the nonresident worker is employed [or], the 2 educational institution is located that a nonresident worker or nonresi- 3 dent student is present or the address of the temporary residence and 4 the length of stay at such residence in that agency's jurisdiction. 5 (b) Any sex offender shall register with the division no later than 6 ten calendar days prior to having a temporary residence, regardless of 7 the length of stay at such temporary residence, and shall inform the 8 division of the address of such temporary residence and the length of 9 such stay. Any failure or omission to submit the required fee shall not 10 affect the acceptance by the division of the change of address or change 11 of status. 12 (c) Any nonresident visitor sex offender or sex offender staying at a 13 temporary residence shall inform the owner of the temporary residence if 14 not a short-term rental unit or the short-term rental host or the host- 15 ing platform, as such terms are defined in section three hundred nine- 16 ty-eight-g of the general business law, of such person's status as a 17 nonresident visitor sex offender or sex offender no later than ten days 18 before their stay at a temporary residence. 19 § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 398-g 20 to read as follows: 21 § 398-g. Sex offender stays in short-term rental units. 1. For the 22 purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following 23 meanings: 24 (a) "Residential dwelling" means any building or structure or portion 25 thereof which is occupied in whole or in part as the home or residence. 26 (b) "Short-term rental unit" means an entire residential dwelling, or 27 a room, group of rooms, other living or sleeping space, or any other 28 space within a residential dwelling, made available for rent by guests 29 for less than thirty consecutive days. 30 (c) "Short-term rental host" means an owner or tenant of a short-term 31 rental unit who rents such unit to guests. 32 (d) "Hosting platform" means a person or entity who, pursuant to an 33 agreement with a short-term rental host: 34 (i) provides a platform for compensation through which unaffiliated 35 third-party short-term rental hosts can offer to rent short-term rental 36 units; and 37 (ii) collects a fee in connection with either: 38 (A) providing the forum in which, or by means of which, the offer of 39 occupancy of a short-term rental unit is accepted; or 40 (B) providing the forum in which a short-term rental host can list or 41 advertise space in a short-term rental unit. 42 For the purposes of this section, the term "sex offender" shall mean a 43 person designated as a level two or level three sex offender as defined 44 in section one hundred sixty-eight-a of the correction law. 45 2. Every internet advertisement or online posting of a short-term 46 rental unit shall prominently display the complete physical street 47 address of the vacation rental along with a link to the website created 48 by the respective local sheriff jurisdiction, or the division of crimi- 49 nal justice services sex offender registry, pursuant to article six-C of 50 the correction law, to notify the public of any information regarding 51 sex offenders. Such advertisement or posting shall prominently display a 52 link to state sex offender registry laws, and state "Every sexual offen- 53 der and sexual predator intending to stay at the location in New York is 54 required by New York State law to register in accordance with the law". 55 3. A short-term rental host or hosting platform shall notify all prop- 56 erty owners within one thousand feet of the rented property at least 
 S. 155 3 1 twenty-four hours prior to the arrival of a sex offender or a nonresi- 2 dent visitor sex offender, as such term is defined in section one 3 hundred sixty-eight-a of the correction law, and inform such property 4 owners of the length of the stay of such sex offender or nonresident 5 visitor sex offender. 6 4. A violation of this section may result in a fine, suspension, or 7 revocation of a rental license, where applicable. 8 § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 9 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, 10 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 11 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 12 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.