New York Senate Bill S05963

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/4/25
• Refer: 3/4/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Relates to the protection of victims of domestic violence act, which requires defendants to wear global positioning systems monitoring the location of the defendant.

Summary

This bill would create a new article in the Executive Law called the “Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence Act.” It authorizes judges to release certain defendants subject to protective conditions designed to protect named individuals, and requires the court to make findings on the record and notify the defendant of the specific conditions and consequences for violating them. The bill also requires orders to include identifying information, effective and expiration dates, and the conditions imposed, and it directs law enforcement to promptly enter or remove those orders from the state’s computerized order-of-protection and warrant system. A central feature of the bill is a court-authorized GPS monitoring option for defendants charged with crimes involving domestic violence. If ordered, the defendant may be required to wear a GPS device, and with the victim’s informed consent the court may provide the victim with an electronic receiver that alerts them if the defendant comes within a court-set proximity. The bill also allows victims to identify exclusion zones, requires the court to consider whether monitoring would deter further violence, and permits the victim to end participation at any time without penalty. The defendant must pay the monitoring costs or perform community service in lieu of payment, and the bill defines domestic violence, GPS monitoring, and informed consent for these purposes.

Impact

The bill would amend the Executive Law by adding a new article governing pretrial release conditions in domestic violence cases and by expanding the tools available to judges, courts, and law enforcement for victim protection. It would create a statutory framework for protective release conditions, mandatory notice and recordkeeping, immediate entry of orders into the statewide protection-order database, and court-ordered GPS monitoring with victim notification features. It would also affect defendants charged with domestic violence-related offenses, victims seeking safety protections, judges setting release conditions, and law enforcement agencies responsible for entering and removing orders from the system.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears strongly protective of domestic violence victims and focused on enhancing safety before trial. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided, so no formal support or opposition can be measured from the available legislative record. The structure of the bill suggests a public-safety-oriented approach that is likely to appeal to advocates for victim protection and accountability in domestic violence cases.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the use of GPS monitoring, the privacy and liberty implications for defendants, and the extent to which victims must participate in or consent to monitoring. The bill requires informed consent for the victim-receiver component and allows the victim to withdraw participation, which addresses some privacy concerns, but the monitoring regime still raises questions about cost, enforcement, and whether electronic surveillance is appropriate as a release condition. Another possible issue is the requirement that defendants pay for the device and monitoring or perform community service instead, which could be debated as to fairness and feasibility.