Directs the office of children and family services to establish a center for fatherhood initiatives to issue grants to initiatives regarding the promotion and advancement of fatherhood, including but not limited to all underserved fatherhood groups to help expand opportunities to improve parenting knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy.
Summary
S05228 would amend the New York Executive Law to create a new Center for Fatherhood Initiatives within the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The center would be responsible for issuing grants to programs that promote and advance fatherhood, with an express focus on underserved fatherhood groups. The stated purpose is to expand opportunities that improve parenting knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy among fathers.
The bill also authorizes the OCFS commissioner to adopt any rules and regulations needed to establish, operate, and maintain the center. It would take effect 180 days after becoming law. In practical terms, the measure creates a new state-level grantmaking and programmatic function within OCFS aimed at supporting fatherhood engagement and related family services.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add a new section 501-i to the Executive Law and expand the duties of the Office of Children and Family Services by establishing a dedicated fatherhood center. It would not directly alter family court, child support, or custody statutes, but it would create a new administrative structure for awarding grants and potentially delivering services to fatherhood-focused initiatives. The bill could affect nonprofit providers, community organizations, and other programs serving fathers, especially underserved populations.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan or at least broad legislative support for the measure. The Senate Rules Committee approved the bill 20-0, and the Senate later passed it 57-0, indicating no recorded opposition in the votes provided. No committee transcript was available, so there is no documented debate in the supplied materials, but the unanimous votes suggest the bill was viewed favorably as a family-support initiative.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because there are no committee transcripts, any policy disagreements are not visible here. Potential areas that could have raised questions, though not reflected in the record provided, include whether OCFS should house the program, how grants would be funded, which fatherhood groups would qualify as underserved, and whether the center would duplicate existing family or parenting services.
Same As
Directs the office of children and family services to establish a center for fatherhood initiatives to issue grants to initiatives regarding the promotion and advancement of fatherhood, including but not limited to all underserved fatherhood groups to help expand opportunities to improve parenting knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy.
Directs the office of children and family services to establish a center for fatherhood initiatives to issue grants to initiatives regarding the promotion and advancement of fatherhood, including but not limited to all underserved fatherhood groups to help expand opportunities to improve parenting knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy.