Senate Bill S9427

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9427
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 11, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK,  WEIK  --  read  twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Codes
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  penal law and the executive law, in relation to
   threats or harm to animals as a means of coercion or coercive control
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of  section  135.60  of the penal law, as
 amended by section 1 of part NN of chapter 55 of the laws  of  2018,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   1. Cause physical injury to a person OR ANIMAL; or
   § 2. Subparagraph (i) of paragraph (o) of subdivision 3 of section 575
 of  the  executive law, as amended by chapter 23 of the laws of 2023, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (i) Within amounts appropriated for such  purpose,  the  office  shall
 contract  with  an  organization designated by the federal department of
 health and human services to coordinate  statewide  improvements  within
 local  communities,  social  services systems, and programming regarding
 the prevention and intervention of domestic violence in New  York  state
 to  mutually  develop a training program as described in this paragraph.
 The office and such organization shall be responsible for providing such
 training to psychiatrists, psychologists  and  social  workers  who  are
 licensed  in the state of New York, so that such individuals may conduct
 court ordered forensic evaluations, involving child custody and  visita-
 tion  pursuant  to  paragraph  (a-3)  of  subdivision one of section two
 hundred forty of the domestic relations law; for consulting with  domes-
 tic  violence  service providers and representative organizations in the
 field of domestic violence when  such  training  is  provided  in  their
 communities;  and  for  reviewing  and updating training topics at least
 once every two years. Such training shall include, but  not  be  limited
 to,  a  review  of:  relevant statutes; case law and psychological defi-
 nitions of domestic violence; coercive control,  INCLUDING  THROUGH  THE
 USE  OF  THREATS  OR  HARM TO ANIMALS, and child abuse; the dynamics and
 effects of domestic violence and child abuse, including but not  limited
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD15135-01-6
 S. 9427                             2
 
 to,  emotional, financial, physical, technological and sexual abuse; the
 barriers and fears associated with reporting domestic violence and child
 abuse and why victims may not have documented evidence of abuse; tactics
 commonly  used  by  one  party to induce fear in another party or child,
 including  verbal,  emotional,  psychological,  and/or  economic  abuse,
 isolating  techniques,  coercive  control,  INCLUDING THROUGH THE USE OF
 THREATS OR HARM TO ANIMALS, and monitoring of a partner's  location  and
 activities; litigation abuse and demands for custody or joint custody in
 order  to pressure the partner to return or punish the partner for leav-
 ing; trauma, particularly as it relates to sexual abuse  and  the  risks
 posed  to  children and the long-term dangers and impacts imposed by the
 presence of adverse childhood experiences; the increased risk  of  esca-
 lating  violence  that  occurs during child custody proceedings; and the
 danger of basing child custody decisions on claims that a child's  defi-
 cient  or  negative  relationship  with  a parent is caused by the other
 parent.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.