Provides for limited credit time allowances for working in the horse handling program for a period of no less than eighteen months and receipt of a certification from the Groom Elite program.
Summary
S01191 amends New York’s correction law to expand eligibility for limited credit time allowances, which are sentence-related incentives that can reduce an incarcerated person’s time in custody when certain work requirements are met. Under current law, one qualifying pathway already exists for people who complete at least 800 hours in an assigned position at a food production center and continue working there for an additional 18 months. The bill adds a second pathway for incarcerated individuals who work in the horse handling program for at least 18 months and receive certification from the Groom Elite program.
In practical terms, the bill creates a new sentence-credit opportunity tied to participation in a specific prison work program involving horse care and handling. It does not broadly change parole rules or general good-time credit provisions; instead, it narrows the change to a particular vocational program and certification. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Impact
The bill would amend Correction Law section 803-b to add horse handling/Groom Elite participation as an additional basis for limited credit time allowances. This would affect incarcerated people assigned to the horse handling program, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s administration of work-based credit programs, and any facilities operating or supporting the Groom Elite certification pathway. It leaves existing food production center credit eligibility intact while expanding the statute’s list of qualifying work programs.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, with strong committee approval and clear majority support on the Senate floor in both recorded votes. The committee votes were unanimous, indicating little formal opposition at that stage. Floor votes were also positive, though not unanimous, showing some legislators had reservations or opposed the measure even as it advanced comfortably.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be whether sentence-credit incentives should be extended to this specific work program and whether such credits are an appropriate correctional policy tool. Supporters likely view the bill as rewarding sustained work, vocational training, and rehabilitation through the horse handling/Groom Elite program. Opponents may be concerned about reducing incarceration time through a program that benefits a limited group of participants, or about the broader use of limited credit time allowances in sentencing and corrections policy. The recorded votes show that any disagreement was limited enough to allow passage, but not absent on the floor.
Same As
Provides for limited credit time allowances for working in the horse handling program for a period of no less than eighteen months and receipt of a certification from the Groom Elite program.
Provides for limited credit time allowances for working in the horse handling program for a period of no less than eighteen months and receipt of a certification from the Groom Elite program.
Directs the chief administrator of the courts to develop and implement a random audit compliance program to conduct periodic financial audits of law firms that engage in the private practice and create and manage escrow trust accounts in the state in order to ensure proper handling of IOLTA accounts; provides for the funding of the random audit compliance program.
Certifications in the paid family and medical leave insurance program by foreign providers limited, and suspension of certifications based on credible allegations of fraud and certain convictions required.
Provides that the statute of limitations for second-degree sexual assault shall be 10 years from the date of the offense, or, in the case of a victim who is under the age of 18, ten years from the victim’s eighteenth birthday, whichever is later.
Provides that the statute of limitations for second-degree sexual assault shall be 10 years from the date of the offense, or, in the case of a victim who is under the age of 18, ten years from the victim’s eighteenth birthday, whichever is later.
Provides that the statute of limitations for second-degree sexual assault shall be 10 years from the date of the offense, or, in the case of a victim who is under the age of 18, ten years from the victim’s eighteenth birthday, whichever is later.
Directs the chief administrator of the courts to develop and implement a random audit compliance program to conduct periodic financial audits of law firms that engage in the private practice and create and manage escrow trust accounts in the state in order to ensure proper handling of IOLTA accounts; provides for the funding of the random audit compliance program.