Referred to: The Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee (Chairwoman Walter and Legislators Fabiano, Haynes, Heppner, and Parete)

Legislator Craig Lopez and Legislators Bruno, Corcoran, Fabiano, Haynes, Litts, Maio, Petit, Roberts, Ronk and Wawro offer the following:

WHEREAS, new discovery reform laws were passed in the 2019-2020 NYS Budget that overhauled the discovery process, requiring an expedited timeline to provide materials such as police reports, radio transmissions, body-worn and dash-cam video, along with other data related to prosecution; and

WHEREAS, the current law protects law enforcement personnel by allowing their personal identifying information to be excluded from discovery documents and records, but does not include protections for first responders, who, in many instances, provide service at crime scenes; and

WHEREAS, ambulance services personnel, advanced life support first response services, certified first responders, firefighters, emergency medical technicians or advanced emergency medical technicians, who are employed by or enrolled members of any such service should also have their personal identifying information protected from discovery, so they are not subject to retaliation or witness tampering; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature hereby strongly urges all members of the New York Senate and Assembly to support and Governor Cuomo to immediately sign into law S7280/A09107, the “Emergency First Responders Privacy and Protection Act”; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature shall forward copies of this resolution to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assembly and Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, Assembly and Senate Codes Committee Chairs, all Ulster County elected Assemblymembers and Senators,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                         NOES:    

Passed Committee: Law Enforcement and Public Safety on March 4, 2020

Postponed to the next Regular Session of the Ulster County Legislature at Legislative Session on March 17, 2020

Postponed to the next Regular Session of the Ulster County Legislature at Legislative Session on April 28, 2020

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE