S 4791 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Enacts "Destini Smothers' law"; requires collaboration between law enforcement agencies in missing persons investigations and provides support for relatives of such missing persons

Summary
Enacts "Destini Smothers' law"; requires collaboration between law enforcement agencies in missing persons investigations; provides support for relatives of such missing persons.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 12, 2025 Last action Jan 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S4791 S4791A · 6 edits
MODERATE
This bill was amended to strengthen the 'Destini Smothers' law' by adding new requirements for law enforcement collaboration in missing persons investigations, clarifying the role of the police commissioner, and establishing mandatory notification timelines for families of missing persons.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include specific requirements for handling cases involving family offenses and domestic violence, and to clarify the presumption of danger for missing adults in certain circumstances.
REQUIREMENT

Changed the responsible official from 'the division' to 'the commissioner' for developing the uniform collaboration plan between police agencies.

Added a new requirement for police agencies to check if a missing person is a victim of family offense or domestic violence and to share that information with other agencies.

Added a requirement for weekly notifications to relatives of missing persons about investigation status, with an initial notification required within seven days.

Added a presumption that missing adults who are victims of family offense or domestic violence are in danger, requiring immediate safety-focused response.

Changed the dispatch timeline for missing person information from 'immediately' to 'promptly' to allow for practical operational considerations.

Added a provision allowing police agencies to withhold information if releasing it would jeopardize the investigation or safety of the missing person.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
2
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
upper
Jun 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 4791A
upper
Jun 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors