Bill Text: NY A01927 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Establishes the council for treatment equity within the office of addiction services and supports.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-10 - substituted by s679a [A01927 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A01927-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         1927--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 13, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, REYES, GRIFFIN, FERNANDEZ, DAVILA,
          DeSTEFANO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Alcoholism and
          Drug Abuse -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation  to  establishing  a
          council  for  treatment equity within the office of addiction services
          and supports

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

     1    Section  1.  The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
     2  19.45 to read as follows:
     3  § 19.45 The council for treatment equity.
     4    1. Definitions. As used in this section:
     5    (a) "Council" shall mean the  council  for  treatment  equity  created
     6  pursuant to this section which shall consist of a full time director and
     7  any  additional full or part-time staff the commissioner deems necessary
     8  to effectuate the provisions of this section.
     9    (b) "Treatment equity advisory board" shall mean the advisory board to
    10  the council, created pursuant to subdivision three of this section.
    11    (c) "Vulnerable populations" shall mean  those  who  have  experienced
    12  injustices and disadvantages as a result of their race, ethnicity, sexu-
    13  al  orientation,  gender identity, disability status, age, socioeconomic
    14  status and/or any other status which has caused a person  to  experience
    15  injustices and disadvantages.
    16    (d)  "Racially and ethnically diverse areas" shall mean counties where
    17  the non-white population is forty percent or more or the service area of
    18  an agency, corporation, facility or individual providing  substance  use
    19  disorder  services  where the non-white population of said area is forty
    20  percent or more.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00661-04-1

        A. 1927--A                          2

     1    (e) "Provider of services" shall mean any agency, corporation, facili-
     2  ty or individual providing substance use disorder services to vulnerable
     3  populations.
     4    (f)  "Treatment  disparities"  shall  mean  measurable  differences in
     5  access to and quality of substance use disorder services  as  determined
     6  by  race,  ethnicity,  sexual  orientation,  gender identity, disability
     7  status, age and socioeconomic status.
     8    (g) "Treatment equity" shall  mean  achieving  the  highest  level  of
     9  substance  use disorder services for all people and shall entail focused
    10  efforts to address avoidable inequalities by equalizing those conditions
    11  for substance use disorder services  for  those  that  have  experienced
    12  injustices and socioeconomic disadvantages.
    13    2. The council for treatment equity. There is hereby created a council
    14  for  treatment  equity.   The council, in conjunction with the treatment
    15  equity advisory board, shall have the following powers and duties:
    16    (a) Work collaboratively with the office, other relevant  state  agen-
    17  cies,  the  local  governmental  unit as defined in article forty-one of
    18  this chapter and other affected stakeholders, including, but not limited
    19  to, providers to and representatives of vulnerable populations, in order
    20  to set priorities  to  achieve  treatment  equity  in  both  racial  and
    21  ethnically  diverse  areas and for vulnerable populations throughout the
    22  state;
    23    (b) Analyze collected  data  to  determine  the  causes  of  treatment
    24  disparities  in  both  racially  and  ethnically  diverse  areas and for
    25  vulnerable populations throughout the  state,  including  any  economic,
    26  physical, social or cultural barriers;
    27    (c)  Develop  and  implement  strategies  aimed at achieving treatment
    28  equity in racially and ethnically diverse  areas  and  among  vulnerable
    29  populations;
    30    (d) Promote community involvement by conducting promotional and educa-
    31  tional outreach programs regarding substance use disorders and available
    32  services; and
    33    (e)  Review  the  impact of current laws, rules, regulations, policies
    34  and programs that may be affecting  the  ability  to  achieve  treatment
    35  equity.
    36    3. The treatment equity advisory board. (a) The treatment equity advi-
    37  sory  board  shall  consist  of  thirteen  members. Six members shall be
    38  appointed by the governor, three  members  appointed  by  the  temporary
    39  president  of  the senate, three members appointed by the speaker of the
    40  assembly and the final member shall be the chairperson of the conference
    41  of local mental hygiene directors, or his or her  designee.  The  chair-
    42  person of the board shall be the commissioner or their designee.
    43    (b)  The  members of the board shall be from the community with exper-
    44  tise in conducting substance  use  disorder  services.  In  making  such
    45  appointments,  due  consideration  shall  be  given to ensuring adequate
    46  geographic representation.
    47    (c) The term of office for each member of the treatment  equity  advi-
    48  sory  board  shall be two years. Vacancies in the treatment equity advi-
    49  sory board, other than by expiration of a term, shall be filled for  the
    50  remainder  of the unexpired term in the same manner as original appoint-
    51  ments.
    52    (d) The members of the treatment equity advisory board  shall  receive
    53  no  compensation  for  their  services,  but shall be reimbursed for all
    54  expenses actually and necessarily incurred by them in the performance of
    55  their duties under this section within  the  amount  made  available  by
    56  appropriation therefor.

        A. 1927--A                          3

     1    4.  Report. The council shall submit a written report to the governor,
     2  the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly no
     3  later than one year succeeding the effective date of  this  section  and
     4  annually  thereafter,  setting  forth  the findings, recommendations and
     5  activities  of the council on matters within the scope of its powers and
     6  duties as set forth in this section.
     7    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
     8  it shall have become a law.
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