New York S 3089: Relates to courthouse facility dogs for witnesses

Bill Text

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 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

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S03089 Summary:

BILL NOS03089 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A04380

&nbsp

SPONSORHELMING

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §39-c, Judy L

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Authorizes courts to exercise discretion permitting a courthouse facility dog for use by witnesses to be used in any judicial proceeding; provides that courts with an available courthouse facility dog must allow a witness under eighteen years of age, or who has a developmental disability, to use a courthouse facility dog to accompany such person while testifying in court; allows any witness who does not meet the criteria of being under eighteen years of age or having a developmental disability to use a courthouse facility dog, if available, to accompany them while testifying in court; defines terms; makes related provisions.

Go to top S03089 Actions:

BILL NOS03089 

&nbsp

01/23/2025REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

01/07/2026REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

Go to topS03089 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS03089 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS03089 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 3089

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 January 23, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary

 AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to courthouse facility
 dogs

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that
 2 questioning child or adult witnesses about a traumatic event in their
 3 lives can trigger an acute emotional response. The trigger makes them
 4 feel or behave the same way they did during or immediately after the
 5 traumatic event because the brain may not differentiate what happened
 6 then from what is going on around them now. These triggers can cause an
 7 immediate emotional response that bypasses the reasoning part of our
 8 brains, resulting in sudden or unexplained bouts of crying; fear, para-
 9 noia, or anxiety; panic attacks; and sudden physical symptoms such as
 10 nausea or fatigue. For children and adults, traumatic events and the
 11 responses that result often interfere with their ability to respond to
 12 questions or testify in court about traumatic events they have experi-
 13 enced or witnessed.
 14 The legislature finds that children are particularly susceptible to
 15 adverse effects of exposure to trauma. Children may undergo secondary
 16 trauma when they participate in investigation and prosecution of crimes
 17 and other stressful legal proceedings. The American academy of pedia-
 18 trics advises ongoing psychosocial support for children to address the
 19 adverse effects of the traumatic event and their experience recounting
 20 it during the legal process. The American academy of pediatrics identi-
 21 fies assistance from courthouse facility dogs as an effective psychoso-
 22 cial support intervention for children participating in legal
 23 proceedings. The legislature finds that courthouse facility dog
 24 programs in our state are innovative community-based interventions. The
 25 courthouse facility dog's calm companionship reduces a traumatized

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD07181-01-5

 S. 3089 2

 1 child's anxiety, prevents recurrent trauma, and supports the child's
 2 ability to respond to questions and information requests during investi-
 3 gations and subsequent court processes, and may hasten their recovery
 4 from this experience. Likewise, the courthouse facility dog program is
 5 an effective intervention for persons who have developmental disabili-
 6 ties, adults who experienced childhood trauma, and other vulnerable
 7 people who could have difficulty engaging with the legal process.
 8 The legislature finds that multiple visits between a potential witness
 9 and the courthouse facility dog and handler may be needed to establish
 10 the relationship supporting an order for the courthouse facility dog's
 11 presence in court during testimony. Courthouse facility dogs and their
 12 handlers require access to locations outside the courthouse for mee