NEW YORK (WWTI) – Governor Kathy Hochul signed important legislation for child protection for families sending their kids to select camps.
Legislation S.6063/A.4117 directs the Department of Health to require operators of children’s non-regulated camps to search the national sex offender database before hiring an employee or volunteer.
“I’m proud to sign this legislation into law to ensure that every child who attends camps throughout New York State is protected from predators. With this new law, we will help bring camp operators and families greater peace of mind that our kids are in safe hands.”
Governor Kathy Hochul
The Legislation amends the current law to require single-purpose day camps and camps regulated by DOH to conduct a national sex offender registry search through the U.S. Department of Justice public database. DOJ’s National Sex Offender Public Website is the only federal site that links state sex offender registries into one, national search site.
Users may search for an individual(s) through known:
- Name(s);
- Address;
- Zip Code;
- County; or
- City or Town.
New York State’s registry details the determined ‘risk level’ of all individuals listed, determined by a judge. The type of information available on the registry is dependent on where the individual falls between Levels 1, 2 and 3. Public State law requires that the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services include individuals found to have a Level 2 or 3 risk of re-offense.
More information on the Department of Health’s requirements for youth camps can be found here.
