Public Policy and Legislative Advocacy

NYSCASA educates legislators and other policy- and decision-makers about the impacts, including unintended consequences, of existing and proposed policies on sexual assault victims/survivors. NYSCASA responds to requests for feedback about policies and also recommends policies that would improve sexual assault intervention and prevention services.

Our current legislative agenda is outlined below. Please contact our Public Policy Director Max Micallef at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments.

• Comprehensive sexuality education (A6616/S2584A): This legislation would amend the education law to require each public and charter school in New York State to provide students in grades kindergarten through twelve with comprehensive sexuality education.
• Expanded access to crime victim compensation (A8619A/S7573): This legislation would expand eligibility for victims and survivors of crime to access victim compensation funds.
• Incapacity to consent (A4484/S2153): This legislation would establish an inability to consent to sexual acts in cases involving law enforcement and victims or witnesses of an incident that is under investigation.
• Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act (A849/S3075): This legislation would repeal statutes that criminalize consensual sexual behavior between adults while upholding laws relating to exploitation of minors, coercion in the sex trades, and trafficking, and to provide criminal record relief for people convicted of crimes repealed under the bill.
• DNA Protection Bill (S8408): This legislation would prohibit the use of DNA evidence from sexual assault forensic kits to be used by law enforcement to arrest, convict, and/or solidify sexual violence survivors as possible criminal suspects of unrelated events.

New York State:

• A Place at the Table Bill (A6943/S6398)
• Immunity Law (S1966)
• Police Records Disclosure Bill (A2442/S2322)
• Destini Smothers’ Law (A8412A/S7591)
• Kyra’s Law (A5398A/S7425A)
• Elder Parole (A8855/S15A)
• Fair & Timely Parole (A4231A/S7514)
• Clean Slate (A6399C/S1553D)

Federal:

• Nonprofit Sector Strength and Partnership Act of 2022 (H.R. 7587)
• Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act (H.R. 2383)

Intersecting Topics:

• Further support and funding of increasing social workers and counselors in schools
• Further support and funding of trauma-informed mental healthcare; especially suicide prevention

How do I contact my legislators to support these bills?

Use the links below to contact your legislators:

• Contact your representative in the New York State Senate.
• Contact your representative in the New York State Assembly.
• Contact your representative in the United States Senate.
• Contact your representative in the United States House of Representatives.

Look out for upcoming events and calls to action to be a part of advocating for anti-sexual violence education, funding, intersectionality, and more!