Legislative Memo on the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill

Current law allows anyone to report a family to the SCR completely anonymously. As a result, little prevents people from abusing the SCR system to threaten and harass parents and their children. Anonymity also makes it more difficult for SCR workers to distinguish baseless reports from legitimate ones. This not only harms the families targeted by unwarranted reports but also diverts resources that could be better used supporting families who actually need it.

The Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act would help agencies better understand which calls to credit and which to dismiss as illegitimate. Several other states already prohibit anonymous reports, and it is high time that New York follows suit. The NYCLU supports the Anti-Harassment in Reporting bill and urges its immediate passage.