By Teresa Mulvaney
ALBANY — Domestic violence survivors who have kept their voter registration addresses hidden from public records will now get a warning letter before that protection runs out. That change is one of three victim-protection bills Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Tuesday.
The package, announced by the governor’s office Oct. 27, does three things:
- It opens the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to people whose intimate images were shared without their consent.
- It sets civil penalties for hotels and motels that fail to post required information for human trafficking victims.
- It requires the state Board of Elections to notify survivors before their confidential voter status expires.
“Protecting victims of domestic violence has always been deeply personal to me,” Hochul said in the release. “Every New Yorker deserves to live a life free from fear, and these new laws will help to protect that right.”
A warning before voter privacy lapses
Under existing law, eligible survivors can ask that their voter registration information be kept confidential for four years. The goal is to keep an abuser from finding them through public election records. Under the new law, S.9671A/A.10960A, the state Board of Elections must mail survivors a notice at least six months before that protection expires, with instructions on how to renew it.
The measure builds on a 2021 law Hochul signed. That law let survivors request confidentiality directly from the Board of Elections instead of first getting a court order, according to the governor’s office.
“Requiring the State Board of Elections to notify survivors six months before their confidential voter registration status expires will help prevent a lapse in this critical layer of protection,” said state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, the Senate sponsor.
Assembly sponsor Linda B. Rosenthal said abusers often keep up the pressure after a survivor leaves. “An abuser’s threatening tactics often do not end when a person leaves, and in too many cases, survivors continue to be subjected to stalking and harassment long after they have fled,” she said. Survivors can keep protecting their privacy “by filing a simple request with their local Board of Elections,” she added.
Penalties for hotels that skip trafficking notices
New York already requires hotels, motels and other lodging businesses to display information about services for human trafficking victims. S.9341A/A.8939A adds civil penalties for businesses that don’t comply.
“Although New York State mandates that hotels post information on services for these victims, not every establishment is in compliance with this mandate,” said state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, the Senate sponsor. “Help and resources are available, and hotels must make this information known.”
“Human trafficking festers in the shadows, and every opportunity we have to connect victims with life-saving resources is vital,” said Assemblymember Amy Paulin, the Assembly sponsor.
The issue has come up in Western New York motels. In June 2024, Lancaster police detectives identified a girl they believed was being sex trafficked at a motel in the town, according to an Erie County Sheriff’s Office release. In an undercover operation with the sheriff’s Human Trafficking Unit, officers arrested a 21-year-old Buffalo man on a charge of sex trafficking of a child, and the 16-year-old was returned to her family. The release did not report how the case was resolved.
“If you suspect someone is being coerced into sex or labor acts, please act by calling the local authorities or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888,” Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said at the time. Lancaster Police Chief William Gummo called the Western District of New York Human Trafficking Task Force “a valuable asset to law enforcement across Western New York.”
Address protection for image-based abuse
The third law, S.5041/A.6338, lets people whose intimate photos or videos were shared illegally and without their consent join the Address Confidentiality Program. The program lets people who have moved keep their new home address private by using a substitute mailing address.
“No one should have to choose between seeking justice and protecting their personal safety and privacy,” said state Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, the Senate sponsor.
Lindsey Song, co-chair of the New York Cyber Abuse Task Force, said survivors of image-based abuse “often face ongoing threats, harassment, and even physical confrontations and assaults from current or former abusers or those who have seen their nonconsensual content online.”
Advocates react
Kelli Nicholas Owens, executive director of the state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, said that with the three measures, “New York is reinforcing its safety net for those who need it most.”
Connie Neal, executive director of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said, “These bills represent meaningful progress for survivors and reflect an important commitment to strengthening protections for those impacted by domestic violence.”
The governor’s office did not give an effective date for any of the three laws or say how large the hotel penalties will be.
The governor’s office also pointed to Hochul’s earlier steps on the issue:
- $100 million in state funding for victim assistance programs.
- A $23 million investment in the Statewide Targeted Reductions in Intimate Partner Violence (STRIVE) initiative.
- Melanie’s Law, which expanded access to orders of protection.
New Yorkers can reach the New York State Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline 24/7 at 800-942-6906, by texting 844-997-2121, or by chatting online at opdv.ny.gov.
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