Senate BillIntroduced
S 4789: Relates to training requirements for attorneys appointed to represent a child in certain proceedings.
What S 4789 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to improve training for attorneys representing children in certain court proceedings. The training programs must be developed in consultation with the state office for the prevention of domestic violence and must include topics such as juvenile delinquency law, domestic violence, and its effects on victims and children. The training programs must be approved by the office of court administration and must be provided to all attorneys for children, including new and veteran attorneys. Additionally, public defender offices and agencies are encouraged to provide training on juvenile delinquency issues for continuing legal education credit. The training requirements will take effect immediately.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO JUDICIARY (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 4789
- What is the current status of S 4789?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 4789 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "REFERRED TO JUDICIARY".
- Did S 4789 pass?
- Not yet. S 4789 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 4789, and where is it now?
- S 4789 was authored by Sen. James Sanders. Its committee of record is Senate Judiciary.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO JUDICIARY |
| Feb. 12, 2025 | REFERRED TO JUDICIARY |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 12, 2025 · 363 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4789 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 12, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary AN ACT to amend the family court act, in relation to training require- ments for attorneys appointed to represent a child in certain proceedings The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs 2 and 3 of subdivision (a) of section 249-b of 2 the family court act, paragraph 2 as added and paragraph 3 as amended by 3 chapter 476 of the laws of 2009, are amended and a new paragraph 4 is 4 added to read as follows: 5 2. provide for the development of training programs with the input of 6 and in consultation with the state office for the prevention of domestic 7 violence. Such training programs must include an overview of juvenile 8 delinquency law and procedure the dynamics of domestic violence and its 9 effect on victims and on children, and the relationship between such 10 dynamics and the issues considered by the court, including, but not 11 limited to, custody, visitation and child support. Such training 12 programs along with the providers of such training must be approved by 13 the office of court administration following consultation with and input 14 from the state office for the prevention of domestic violence; and 15 3. require that all attorneys for children, including new and veteran 16 attorneys, receive initial training for a period of six hours and ongo- 17 ing training as prescribed by the court as provided for in this 18 section[.]; and 19 4. encourage public defender offices and agencies that provide repre- 20 sentation in proceedings under this section to provide training on juve- 21 nile delinquency issues that the state bar has approved for continuing 22 legal education credit. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04727-01-5
Text of S 4789 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions