ALBANY – Call it Barbara’s Law – or maybe not.
Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens) has introduced a bill to outlaw the naming of legislation after crime victims.
She says the number of such laws has gotten so out of control, most people don’t even remember what they’re for anymore.
“I think it’s a little over the top and we should stop it,” Clark told The Post. “In many instances, the victims’ families end up being exploited by the whole thing. If a crime got a lot of attention, this puts them through more trauma – to be put before cameras, the media, legislators for months or even years.”
She said nothing would stop a grieving family from still lobbying for changes to the law.
A Democratic colleague, who requested anonymity, said he thought the real intent behind Clark’s bill was to lessen the pressure on the Assembly to adopt criminal-justice changes by “depersonalizing” issues, something Clark denies.
But the mother of a slain nursing student whose Albany murder inspired the 1998 Jenna’s Law – ending parole for violent felons – says naming legislation after victims helps its chances of passing by connecting the public to a cause.
“You could name a bill Assembly Bill No. 6241, but what does that mean to the general public?” asked Janice Grieshaber, who lobbied legislators to change the law after her daughter’s murder. She said that she didn’t ask for the law to be named after her daughter but that she was honored it was.
“The Legislature naming a bill after someone shows the importance of a bill by separating it out from the pack.”
A spokesman for Gov. Pataki, Kevin Quinn, ripped Clark’s proposal.
“It’s sad, but putting a real face and real victim behind crime legislation is about the only way to get Speaker [Sheldon] Silver and Assembly Democrats to act on anything that protects New Yorkers,” Quinn said.
In recent years, numerous bills turned into laws have been named after crime victims. Besides Jenna’s Law, there’s Megan’s Law, named after a 7-year-old New Jersey girl raped and killed by a neighbor who was a twice-convicted sex offender. The law requires that sex offenders be registered so that communities can be notified when they move into the neighborhood.
There’s also Stephanie’s Law after, Long Island’s Stephanie Fuller, which makes it a felony to secretly videotape someone in a place where they can expect privacy. And there’s Kendra’s Law, Manny’s Law, Vasean’s Law – cracking down on DWI killers – and Buster’s Law, which makes animal cruelty a felony.
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Enough already
Some of the laws carrying names of crime victims:
* Megan’s Law (1995): Requires convicted sex offenders to register their addresses with the state for community
notification. Named after Megan Kanka.
* Jenna’s Law (1998): Eliminated parole for violent felons. Named after Jenna Grieshaber.
* Kendra’s Law (1999): Allows relatives and others to seek court-ordered mental health treatment for a person. Named after Kendra Webdale.
* Stephanie’s Law (2003): Makes it a felony to secrety videotape someone in a place where there is expected privacy. Named after Stephanie Fuller.
* Manny’s Law (2006): Requires hospitals to notify uninsured patients that they’re eligible for government assistance and discounted bills. Named after Manny Lanza.
* Barbara’s Law (Proposed 2006): Prohibts the naming of bills after crime victims. Proposed by Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (above).