Bill Text: NY S00348 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Enacts the reproductive freedom and equity grant program to ensure access to abortion care in the state by providing funding to abortion providers and non-profit organizations whose primary function is to facilitate access to abortion care.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-01-22 - referred to health [S00348 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00348-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         348--C

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. CLEARE, RIVERA, BROUK, COONEY, FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ,
          GOUNARDES, HINCHEY, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, LIU, SALAZAR, THOMAS, WEBB
          -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
          the Committee on Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  committee  --  committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee -- recommitted to the Committee on Health in accord-
          ance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public  health law, in relation to enacting the
          reproductive freedom and equity grant program

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

     1    Section 1.  Article 25-A of the public health law is amended by adding
     2  a new section 2599-bb-1 to read as follows:
     3    § 2599-bb-1. Reproductive freedom and equity grant program. 1. As used
     4  in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    (a)  "Abortion"  shall  mean  the termination of pregnancy pursuant to
     6  section twenty-five hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article.
     7    (b) "Health care services" shall mean the range of care related to the
     8  provision of abortion.
     9    (c) "Practical support" shall  mean  direct  assistance  to  enable  a
    10  person  to obtain abortion care, including but not limited to ground and
    11  air transportation, lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, and
    12  doula support.
    13    (d) "Program" shall mean the reproductive  freedom  and  equity  grant
    14  program established pursuant to subdivision two of this section.
    15    2.  There is hereby established in the department a reproductive free-
    16  dom and equity grant program to ensure access to abortion  care  in  the
    17  state.  The program shall provide funding to abortion providers and non-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02278-06-3

        S. 348--C                           2

     1  profit organizations that provide or facilitate access to abortion care.
     2  The program shall be designed to provide support to  abortion  providers
     3  and  non-profit organizations to increase access to care, fund uncompen-
     4  sated  care,  and  to address the support needs of individuals accessing
     5  abortion care.  Funding used to support the program shall be subject  to
     6  appropriation.
     7    3. The commissioner shall distribute funds made available for expendi-
     8  ture under this section. In determining funding for applicants under the
     9  grant  program,  the  commissioner shall consider the following criteria
    10  and goals:
    11    (a) Increase access to  care  by  growing  the  capacity  of  abortion
    12  providers to meet present and future care needs. Funds may be awarded to
    13  support  the  recruitment  and  retention  of staff, patient navigators,
    14  staff training, the establishment  of  new  or  renovation  of  existing
    15  health  centers,  investments in technology to facilitate care, security
    16  enhancements, and other  operational  or  capital  needs  that  increase
    17  access to abortion care.
    18    (b)  Fund  uncompensated health care services associated with abortion
    19  care, to ensure the affordability of and access to care for  individuals
    20  who  lack  ability  to  pay for care, for individuals who lack insurance
    21  coverage, are underinsured, or whose insurance is deemed unusable by the
    22  rendering provider.
    23    (c) Address practical support needs of individuals accessing  abortion
    24  care for individuals who lack ability to pay for such support.
    25    4.  In  establishing and operating the program, the commissioner shall
    26  consult a range of experts including but not limited to individuals  and
    27  entities providing abortion care, abortion funds and other organizations
    28  whose  mission  is  to  expand  access  to  abortion care, to ensure the
    29  program structure and expenditures reflect the needs of abortion provid-
    30  ers, abortion funds and consumers. The commissioner may make regulations
    31  necessary for implementing the program.
    32    5. The commissioner shall  not  request,  or  otherwise  require,  any
    33  abortion  provider  or non-profit organization receiving monies from the
    34  program to divulge the name, address, photograph, license number,  email
    35  address,  phone  number, or any other individual identifying information
    36  of any patient,  or  individual  who  sought  or  received  health  care
    37  services  or practical support from an abortion provider or organization
    38  under the program.
    39    6. Any non-profit organization or abortion  provider  receiving  funds
    40  from  the program shall take all necessary steps to ensure the confiden-
    41  tiality of the individuals receiving  services  pursuant  to  state  and
    42  federal laws.
    43    §  2. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section
    44  or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of  competent  juris-
    45  diction  to  be  invalid  and  after  exhaustion of all further judicial
    46  review, the judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remain-
    47  der thereof, but shall be confined  in  its  operation  to  the  clause,
    48  sentence,  paragraph,  section  or part of this act directly involved in
    49  the controversy in which the judgment shall have been rendered.
    50    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
feedback