If not meeting with your Legislators in person, please take a few minutes on Tuesday, April 29, to email your legislators and ask them to support the thousands of New Yorkers experiencing domestic violence every day. DV survivors require access to resources and services that can enhance their own safety, and the safety of their families, and rebuild their lives.
 

Below you will find a template email and link to talking points. We encourage you to tailor the sample email to highlight any other information you feel your legislators should be aware of (e.g., impacts to your program, what you are seeing in the field, nuances specific to DV programs and the victim/survivors you work with, etc.). When sending your email, please attach the supporting documents in the Legislator Packet (attached below).

Sample Outreach Email

April 29, 2025

The Honorable {Legislator’s full name}

{Building / Street}

Albany, NY {ZIP}

Re: NYSCADV’s 2025 Legislative Day of Action

Dear {Assembly member/Senator + last name},

I am writing to you today as a/an {advocate, program director, executive director, etc.} at {your organization}.

Are you aware that thousands of New Yorkers experience domestic violence (DV) every day. In fact, New York State continues to have the highest demand for domestic violence services in the country. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s national DV Counts survey, on one day in New York in 2024, more than 10,000 adult and child victims of DV sought help from New York’s DV service providers. More troubling, 1,717 of these victims did not receive the help they requested due to a lack of resources and staff – a 64% increase in unmet demand from the year before.

DV survivors require access to resources and services that can help them enhance their own safety, and the safety of their families, and rebuild their lives. By investing in critical, life-sustaining services, legislators can ensure survivors have the support they need to heal and move forward.

DV advocates are supporting the following legislation to enhance the ability of survivors to access assistance and enhance their safety, and to support DV advocates in their work:

1. A.6194 Hevesi/S.5998 Skoufis: Known as Kyra’s Law, would require courts to conduct a prompt evidentiary hearing to review any findings or allegations of domestic violence or child abuse before issuing orders of custody or visitation;
2. A.3038A Rosenthal/S.1353A Cleare: Would prohibit creditors from enforcing a consumer debt incurred as a result of fraud, intimidation or economic abuse and would create a private right of action by the debtor against creditors who violate the prohibition;
3. A.2590 Hevesi/S.1580 Persaud: Would provide staff of residential and non-residential domestic violence programs, OVS-licensed crime victim service programs and DOH-licensed rape crisis programs with a cost-of-living adjustment; and,
4. A.506 Paulin/S.2075 Mayer: Would streamline New York’s contracting processes to reduce delays in contract execution with and reimbursements to nonprofits (bill has already passed the Senate unanimously).

If you would like more information, I can be reached at {phone number}, or you can contact Joan Gerhardt, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at NYSCADV, at jgerhardt@nyscadv.org.

Sincerely,

{Your name and title}

LEGISLATOR PACKET ATTACHMENTS

• Day of Action Priorities
• Memos of Support
• DV Services Funding Transformation & Stabilization Program
• DV Counts NY Summary
• DV Counts Flyer

Packet Attachments