STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5332--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 22, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sen. HAMILTON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance -- recommitted  to
          the  Committee  on Finance in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
          committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
          recommitted to said committee
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the youth
          violence prevention pilot program
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to
     2  read as follows:
     3    § 319. Youth violence prevention pilot program. 1.  Subject to  avail-
     4  able  appropriations,  the  commissioner shall establish a pilot program
     5  for the prevention of youth  violence.  The  commissioner  shall  select
     6  school  districts  to  participate in the pilot program that have demon-
     7  strated a need based on factors, including, but  not  limited  to,  high
     8  rates  of absenteeism, high rates of suspensions, designation of persis-
     9  tently dangerous school, and other factors as determined by the  commis-
    10  sioner.
    11    2.  The  program  shall provide grant aid for the employment of mental
    12  health professionals within participating  school  districts  including,
    13  but  not  limited  to, social workers, school psychologists, and counse-
    14  lors.
    15    3. To be considered for the pilot program,  a  school  district  shall
    16  submit a proposal to the commissioner detailing:
    17    (a) the reasons why the district seeks to participate in this pilot;
    18    (b)  the  school  district's  barriers to hiring mental health profes-
    19  sionals; and
    20    (c) the  role  that  mental  health  professionals  would  provide  if
    21  selected for the pilot.
    22    4. The commissioner shall establish rules and regulations necessary to
    23  implement the provisions of this section.
    24    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00687-05-8