Thank You for Taking Action: Legislative Day of Action Recap & What’s Next

Thank you to everyone who participated in NYSCADV’s 2025 Legislative Day of Action—whether in person at the Capitol, virtually, or through in-district meetings across New York State. Your dedication to advocating for survivors and the programs that support them continues to drive change and strengthen our movement.

This year’s event came at a critical time. With the Legislature scheduled to be in recess for part of the month of April, we encouraged advocates to meet with their local lawmakers during that window. Many of you stepped up—engaging with elected officials virtually and in person before our Capitol convening on April 29.

While we had a powerful presence in Albany, even more advocates advanced our mission from their communities. These collective efforts ensure that domestic violence remains front and center as legislators make vital funding and policy decisions.

Why We Advocate

Domestic violence continues to be a pervasive crisis in New York State. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s 2024 DV Counts survey, more than 10,000 adult and child survivors sought help from DV service providers in a single day. Alarmingly, 1,717 were turned away due to insufficient staff and resources—a 64% increase in unmet demand from the year prior.

We cannot allow this to continue.

Survivors need access to life-saving services. Advocates need sustainable funding and support to continue their essential work. And lawmakers need to hear directly from us about the urgent need for investment and systemic change.

Our 2025 Legislative Priorities

This year, we are called on lawmakers to support legislation that strengthens safety and economic stability for survivors, and ensures critical support for frontline programs:

• Kyra’s Law (A.6194/S.5998) Requires courts to hold prompt evidentiary hearings when domestic violence or child abuse is alleged in custody cases.
• Economic Abuse Protections (A.3038A/S.1353A) Prevents creditors from enforcing debts incurred through coercion, fraud, or abuse and provides survivors with a legal pathway for relief.
• Cost-of-Living Adjustments (A.2590/S.1580) Ensures fair compensation for staff at DV programs, crime victim service providers, and rape crisis centers.
• Nonprofit Contracting Reform (A.506/S.2075) Streamlines the state’s nonprofit contracting process to reduce harmful delays (already passed the Senate unanimously).

Whether you joined us in Albany, connected with lawmakers in your district, or are planning future meetings—your voice matters. Your advocacy is making a difference.

Let’s keep pushing for a future where every survivor has access to the support they need—and every community is equipped to respond with compassion, equity, and care.

Stay engaged. Stay empowered. And thank you for being part of this critical work.

End of Legislative Session 2024 Sees Passage of Important DV-Related Bills

Great news! Before the end of this year’s legislative session in early June, the Assembly and Senate approved two of NYSCADV’s legislative priorities. The first bill (A9616C/S9174B) would require vehicle manufacturers and/or dealers to terminate an abuser’s access to remove vehicle technology at the request of a DV victim. The second bill, called the S.A.F.E. Shelter Act (A2583A/S15A), would authorize the state to pay DV shelters for any payment differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for double occupancy.

Several other important DV-related bills were approved by the chambers in the final hours of session, including:

• A1774/S2922, which would deem a person who engages in sexual conduct with their supervising probation officer during the period of their probation as being incapable of consent;
• A10540/S9839, which would add 12 new civil court judges in NYC and one new family court judge in the following counties: Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Erie, Jefferson, Nassau, Rensselaer, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester;
• A10397/S7185, which would require OPDV to conduct a study on DV in the transgender community, with a focus on Black transgender women;
• A5873/S3340, which would require Extreme Risk Protection Orders to be reported to the statewide computerized registry of OPs;
• A4199/ S5502, which would provide additional rights to crime victims and require the court or DA, either at sentencing or at the earliest time possible, to provide victims with an informational sheet explaining their rights;
• A2740B/S4877A, which would require state agencies to execute contracts with nonprofits in required timeframes and, if such agencies fail to do so, require them to prepare a monthly report to the Attorney General detailing the reasons for non-compliance and the steps the agency will take to resolve issues; and,
• A9122/S8687, which would ensure that litigants who are not fully proficient in the English language have their statements in support of an accusatory instrument accurately taken.

These bills now await action by the Governor.

NYSCADV plans to hold its annual review of this year’s legislative session later this summer. Please be on the lookout for registration details.