§ 190.25 Grand jury; proceedings and operation in general.\n 1. Proceedings of a grand jury are not valid unless at least sixteen\nof its members are present. The finding of an indictment, a direction to\nfile a prosecutor's information, a decision to submit a grand jury\nreport and every other affirmative official action or decision requires\nthe concurrence of at least twelve members thereof.\n 2. The foreman or any other grand juror may administer an oath to any\nwitness appearing before the grand jury.\n 3. Except as provided in subdivision three-a of this section, during\nthe deliberations and voting of a grand jury, only the grand jurors may\nbe present in the grand jury room. During its other proceedings, the\nfollowing persons, in addition to witnesses, may, as the occasion\nrequires, also be present:\n (a) The district attorney;\n (b) A clerk or other public servant authorized to assist the grand\njury in the administrative conduct of its proceedings;\n (c) A stenographer authorized to record the proceedings of the grand\njury;\n (d) An interpreter. Upon request of the grand jury, the prosecutor\nmust provide an interpreter to interpret the testimony of any witness\nwho does not speak the English language well enough to be readily\nunderstood. Such interpreter must, if he has not previously taken the\nconstitutional oath of office, first take an oath before the grand jury\nthat he will faithfully interpret the testimony of the witness and that\nhe will keep secret all matters before such grand jury within his\nknowledge;\n (e) A public servant holding a witness in custody. When a person held\nin official custody is a witness before a grand jury, a public servant\nassigned to guard him during his grand jury appearance may accompany him\nin the grand jury room. Such public servant must, if he has not\npreviously taken the constitutional oath of office, first take an oath\nbefore the grand jury that he will keep secret all matters before it\nwithin his knowledge.\n (f) An attorney representing a witness pursuant to section 190.52 of\nthis chapter while that witness is present.\n (g) An operator, as that term is defined in section 190.32 of this\nchapter, while the videotaped examination of either a special witness or\na child witness is being played.\n (h) A social worker, rape crisis counselor, psychologist or other\nprofessional providing emotional support to a child witness twelve years\nold or younger, or a social worker or informal caregiver, as provided in\nsubdivision two of section two hundred six of the elder law, for a\nvulnerable elderly person as provided in subdivision three of section\n260.31 of the penal law, who is called to give evidence in a grand jury\nproceeding concerning a crime defined in article one hundred twenty-one,\narticle one hundred thirty, article two hundred sixty, section 120.10,\n125.10, 125.15, 125.20, 125.25, 125.26, 125.27, 255.25, 255.26 or 255.27\nof the penal law provided that the district attorney consents. Such\nsupport person shall not provide the witness with an answer to any\nquestion or otherwise participate in such proceeding and shall first\ntake an oath before the grand jury that he or she will keep secret all\nmatters before such grand jury within his or her knowledge.\n 3-a. Upon the request of a deaf or hearing-impaired grand juror, the\nprosecutor shall provide a sign language interpreter for such juror.\nSuch interpreter shall be present during all proceedings of the grand\njury which the deaf or hearing-impaired grand juror attends, including\ndeliberation and voting. The interpreter shall, if he or she has not\npreviously taken the constitutional oath of office, first take an oath\nbefore the grand jury that he or she will faithfully interpret the\ntestimony of the witnesses and the statements of the prosecutor, judge\nand grand jurors; keep secret all matters before such grand jury within\nhis or her knowledge; and not seek to influence the deliberatio
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