{"id":80665,"date":"2017-05-11T03:26:01","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T07:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=80665"},"modified":"2017-05-10T19:49:10","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T23:49:10","slug":"stirpe-assembly-passes-legislation-to-help-domestic-violence-victims-rebuild-their-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=80665","title":{"rendered":"Stirpe: Assembly passes legislation to help domestic violence victims rebuild their lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Al Stirpe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced he helped pass a series of bills to provide victims of domestic violence with support, access to vital resources and greater protections. \u201cNo one should have to suffer in silence, but sadly, that\u2019s the reality for far too many domestic violence victims,\u201d Stirpe said. \u201cThis legislative package gives them a voice and helps eliminate some of the challenges they face in trying to move forward with their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Assembly\u2019s legislative package includes a measure to prevent employers from discriminating against victims of domestic violence as well as allow these employees reasonable accommodations in the workplace as they address issues, such as counseling or court appearances, related to their abuse (A.1481-A).<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a victim of abuse shouldn\u2019t prevent someone from getting and keeping a job,\u201d Stirpe said. \u201cSurvivors deserve to be supported as they work toward creating a better life and freeing themselves from the cycle of victimization.\u201d<\/p>\n

To make it easier for victims to distance themselves from their abusers, the legislative package also\u00a0allows victims of domestic violence to break a telephone, cable or broadband contract, as well as a shared or family plan wireless contract, without certain penalties (A.1056, A.946); authorizes health insurers to have claim information and benefits sent to an alternative mailing address (A.4060); and requires hospitals to establish procedures regarding domestic violence (A.4014).<\/p>\n

Another measure would allow judges to use their discretion when sentencing victims of domestic violence for crimes they commit as a direct result of their abuse, which can lead to shorter sentences or participation in alternative-to-incarceration (AIT) programs (A.3110). The measure would also allow victims who are currently incarcerated to apply for resentencing.<\/p>\n

Further, the Assembly\u2019s legislation would also help ensure victims of domestic violence understand their rights during court proceedings (A.5921), as well as make it easier to get justice in civil court proceedings (A.1390, A.1516).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that we continue to spread awareness about domestic violence,\u201d Stirpe said. \u201cSurvivors of abuse should know they\u2019re not alone. I\u2019ll never stop fighting to support them and hold perpetrators accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly 700 adults and children seek shelter from domestic abuse each year in Onondaga County. Local police receive more than 1,200 calls regarding domestic disputes every month.[1]<\/a>\u00a0Syracuse\u2019s Vera House provides invaluable services to victims of domestic violence and can be reached at\u00a0315-468-3260<\/a>, 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n

New York\u2019s toll-free hotline is also open 24 hours a day at\u00a01-800-942-6906<\/a>. For additional information, visit the New York State Office of Victim Services\u2019 website at\u00a0ovs.ny.gov<\/a>\u00a0or the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence website at\u00a0opdv.ny.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced he helped pass a series of bills to provide victims of domestic violence with support, access to vital resources and greater protections. \u201cNo one should have to suffer in silence, but sadly, that\u2019s the reality for far too many domestic violence victims,\u201d Stirpe said. \u201cThis legislative package gives them a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23810,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}