(New York, NY, Wednesday, November 26, 2021) – The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY“) has adopted the following Legislative Priorities for 2021- 2022:

• Legislation related to Collateral Consequences of COVID 19, including but not limited to gender, health, housing and labor
• New York State Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
• Human Trafficking
• Reproductive Rights
• Access to Justice, including raising the rates of assigned counsel

Our list of priorities includes important issues that were identified during past legislative sessions. WBASNY will continue to advocate these issues, as well as new issues of relevance to our mission. Our priorities will serve as a road map for the year ahead, but will by no means preclude WBASNY from identifying other issues of importance to our members and our mission.

Budget Legislation

• Comply with Federal Family First prevention services act requirements
• Expand Child Care Affordability and Ease administrative burdens on child care providers

Other Substantive Legislation

• Prohibit a party to an order of protection from remotely controlling any connected devices of a person protected by such order A.10039/S.7926
• Authorize former foster care youth to re-enter foster care during COVID-19 State of Emergency A.10581-B/S.8834
• Require Reporting of Youth Placed in Foster Care Settings A.1436C/S.222-C
• Require the video recording of interrogation of juveniles in juvenile delinquency proceedings in family court. A.7970/S.6533
• Require reporting of data on child welfare preventive services A.10513/S.842
• Allow courts to waive certain surcharges and fees with respect to indigent litigants A.5045/S.3457
• Enact the Jonah Bichotte Cowan Law relating to pre-term labor care A.2770-C/S.8525
• Protect our courts – (exempts certain parties from civil arrest while going to, remaining at, or returning from the place of such court proceeding) A.2176-A / S.425-A
• Provide a civil cause of action for human trafficking A3186/S672

WBASNY is happy to have been at the forefront of this important legislative issues and we look forward to advancing further legislation that supports our mission during the 2021-2022 term.

For more information on WBASNY, as well as our positions on legislation, please visit www.wbasny.org.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) is the professional membership organization of choice for more than 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State, and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country.  For four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, with professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families.  Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.