Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, has announced the state Assembly passed legislation Tuesday to address domestic violence issues and offer better assistance, protection and justice for victims.
“Domestic violence is a tragedy that is all too widespread and creates enduring hardships for survivors and their families,” Assemblywoman Russell said.
“Domestic violence does not discriminate; it affects all New Yorkers regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or sexual orientation. I will do everything I can to stand up for victims of domestic violence and help prevent this awful crime from hurting our families and community,” she added
Despite being chronically underreported, there were over 186,000 calls to hotlines to report instances of domestic violence across the state in 2014, Assemblywoman Russell noted.
Renewal House in St. Lawrence County served 645 domestic violence victims in 2015 and provided safe housing to 74 individuals with an average length of stay of 17 days.
Renewal House Executive Director Ilene J. Burke said the number of victims served by the agency has fluctuated between 650 and 750 over the last several years.
Jill Parker, executive director of the Victims Assistance Center in Jefferson County, said her agency provided a total of 468 domestic violence shelter nights in 2015 to 124 individuals.
She said her agency handled 1,367 hotline calls last year and handled 3.723 new cases in 2015. She said those cases included domestic violence, sexual assault and other acts of violence.
The state Assembly’s legislative package recognizes the need for greater long-term support for:
Preventing discrimination
To help victims continue on with their lives, the Assembly’s legislative package includes a bill prohibiting employment discrimination against domestic violence survivors and allowing victims time off to attend to legal proceedings and medical appointments (A.272).
“The challenges of overcoming domestic violence are overwhelming, and the last thing victims should experience is discrimination in the workplace. That is why this bill is so important,” Assemblywoman Russell said.
Protecting victims
“Victims of domestic violence face physical and emotional damage and must know that they are not alone and that help is available,” Assemblywoman Russell said.
The package includes measures to provide support for survivors that would:
• Require hospitals to create procedures regarding domestic violence, establish training programs and designate staff to coordinate services (A.1232-A);
• Extend a law authorizing referees to determine applications for orders of protection while family court is in session (A.9686);
• Allow judges expanded discretion in sentencing defendants who are victims of domestic violence, where the abuse was a significant factor in the commission of an offense (A.4409-B); and
• Prohibit domestic violence offenders from possessing or purchasing a firearm (A.5257 and A.6340).
Expanding victims’ rights
“Victims of domestic violence need as much support as possible to help them move forward with their lives,” according to Assemblywoman Russell.
“Their experiences are challenging and hard to overcome, to say the least. However, as they recover, we must protect victims’ rights, especially in regard to contractual obligations and legal obstacles,” she added.
The Assembly legislation would:
• Allow victims to recover non-economic damages from defendants found liable for failure to obey or enforce domestic violence orders of protection or temporary oders of protection (A.260);
• Require wireless telephone companies to allow domestic violence victims to opt out of shared or family plans without incurring any penalties (A.326-A);
• Require companies to allow victims to end services like cable, internet or phone when there is a domestic violence report, order of protection or signed affidavit (A.274-A);
• Require orders of protection issued in family or criminal court to be translated into the native language of the parties involved (A.162);
• Mandate health insurers to allow victims of domestic violence to designate alternative contact information for claim information or billing purposes (A.1358); and
• Ensure victims understand their rights in family or criminal court proceedings by simplifying language in court documents (A.9628).
Domestic violence and sexual assault victims can receive assistance or guidance 24 hours a day through the state domestic violence hotline, 1-800- 942-6906.
The 24-hour crisis hotline numbers are 379-8845 for Renewal House in St. Lawrence County and 782-1855 for the Victims Assistance Center in Jefferson County.
For more information, visit the New York State Office of Victim Services and Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence at ovs.ny.gov and opdv.ny.gov, respectively.