S 645: Exempts statements of victims and witnesses relating to sexual abuse or misconduct from disclosure under FOIL provisions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 645 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern- ment Operations AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to exempting certain statements relating to sexual abuse or misconduct from disclo- sure The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 2 of section 87 of the public 2 officers law, as amended by chapter 155 of the laws of 2022, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 (e) are compiled for law enforcement purposes only to the extent that 5 disclosure would: 6 i. interfere with law enforcement investigations or judicial 7 proceedings, provided however, that any agency, which is not conducting 8 the investigation that the requested records relate to, that is consid- 9 ering denying access pursuant to this subparagraph shall receive confir- 10 mation from the law enforcement or investigating agency conducting the 11 investigation that disclosure of such records will interfere with an 12 ongoing investigation; 13 ii. deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial adjudi- 14 cation; 15 iii. identify a confidential source or disclose confidential informa- 16 tion relating to a criminal investigation; [or] 17 iv. reveal criminal investigative techniques or procedures, except 18 routine techniques and procedures; or 19 v. reveal any statement made by a witness or victim relating to sexual 20 abuse or misconduct; 21 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02198-01-5