Bill Text: NY A01200 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the people with disabilities access to programs commission to examine, evaluate and make recommendations for new laws with respect to how the state should streamline eligibility requirements and processes for its programs and services to assist people with disabilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-1)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-01-03 - ordered to third reading cal.37 [A01200 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A01200-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1200

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. EPSTEIN, BURDICK, GALLAGHER, SEAWRIGHT, CRUZ,
          HEVESI, GIBBS, COOK, OTIS, SANTABARBARA, DeSTEFANO --  read  once  and
          referred to the Committee on People with Disabilities

        AN  ACT  to  establish  the  people with disabilities access to programs
          commission

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. 1. (a) There is hereby established a people with disabili-
     2  ties access to programs commission to examine, evaluate and make  recom-
     3  mendations  for new laws with respect to how the state should streamline
     4  eligibility requirements and processes for its programs and services  to
     5  assist  people  with  disabilities including but not limited to programs
     6  overseen by the  office  for  people  with  developmental  disabilities,
     7  office  of mental health, department of health, ACCES-VR, and the office
     8  of children and family services.  The commission's report shall  be  due
     9  by December 1, 2024.
    10    (b) The commission shall be comprised of eleven members, five of which
    11  shall  be  appointed by the governor, two of which shall be appointed by
    12  the temporary president of the senate, two of which shall  be  appointed
    13  by  the  speaker of the assembly, one of which shall be appointed by the
    14  minority leader of the senate, and one of which shall  be  appointed  by
    15  the  minority  leader of the assembly. The commission shall not be fully
    16  constituted without the appointment of the eleventh member. There  shall
    17  be  no  chairperson appointed, and the commission shall be governed by a
    18  majority vote, and at all times, the commission shall act with a quorum.
    19    2. (a) The commission shall only meet within the state and shall  hold
    20  at least one hearing at which the public will be afforded an opportunity
    21  to  provide comments. The commission may hold additional public hearings
    22  as it deems necessary. Such additional hearings, if any, may  allow  for
    23  an opportunity to provide public comments.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01900-01-3
        A. 1200                             2

     1    (b)  The  members  of the commission shall receive no compensation for
     2  their services but shall be allowed their actual and necessary  expenses
     3  incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder. Nothing contained
     4  herein  shall  prohibit a member of the commission from receiving his or
     5  her salary earned by reason of their state employee position.
     6    (c) No member of the commission shall be disqualified from holding any
     7  other  public  office  or public employment, nor shall he or she forfeit
     8  any such public office or public employment by  reason  of  his  or  her
     9  appointment  pursuant to this section, notwithstanding the provisions of
    10  any general, special or local law, regulation, ordinance or  city  char-
    11  ter.
    12    (d)  To  the  maximum  extent  feasible  and as authorized by law, the
    13  commission shall be entitled to request and receive  and  shall  utilize
    14  and  be  provided with such facilities, resources and data of any court,
    15  department,  division,  board,  bureau,  commission,  agency  or  public
    16  authority  of  the  state or any political subdivision thereof as it may
    17  reasonably request to properly carry out its powers and duties  pursuant
    18  to  this act.  Provided however, any information obtained by the commis-
    19  sion shall be kept confidential and  shall  only  be  utilized  for  the
    20  purpose  of completing their responsibilities as a member of the commis-
    21  sion.
    22    (e) The commission may request, and shall receive, reasonable  assist-
    23  ance  from state agency personnel as is necessary for the performance of
    24  its function.
    25    3. The commission shall make a report to the governor and the legisla-
    26  ture of its findings, conclusions,  determinations  and  recommendations
    27  and shall submit such report by December 1, 2024.
    28    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. The commission created by
    29  section  one of this act shall be dissolved after the report required by
    30  such section has been submitted.