Bill Text: NY S07079 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Establishes the "first responder peer support program act" which supplies peer-to-peer mental health programs to first responders.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 7-3)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-23 - PRINT NUMBER 7079A [S07079 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07079-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7079

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 17, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens. HARCKHAM, ASHBY -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health

        AN ACT to amend the mental  hygiene  law,  in  relation  to  the  "First
          Responder Peer Support Program Act"

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

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as  the  "First
     2  Responder Peer Support Program Act".
     3    § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 7.51 to
     4  read as follows:
     5  § 7.51 First responder peer support program.
     6    (a)  For  the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
     7  the following meanings:
     8    1. "The program" shall mean the "first responder peer support program"
     9  established by this section.
    10    2. "Eligible entities" shall mean an entity or county first  responder
    11  peer program which submits to the commissioner an application, in a form
    12  prescribed  by  the commissioner, containing such information and assur-
    13  ances as the commissioner may require to provide initial  and  continued
    14  training  in  mental  illness,  including  but  not  limited  to suicide
    15  prevention, for first responder peer volunteers.
    16    (b) The commissioner shall,  subject  to  appropriation,  establish  a
    17  statewide grant program to be known as the "first responder peer support
    18  program".  The  program shall provide grants, with appropriations there-
    19  for, to eligible entities for the purpose of  establishing  peer-to-peer
    20  mental health programs for first responders.
    21    (c)  The  commissioner  shall  establish  standards  applicable to the
    22  program. Such standards shall include, but not be  limited  to,  initial
    23  and  continued training for first responder peer volunteers, administra-
    24  tive staffing needs, and best practices for addressing the needs of each

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09287-02-3
        S. 7079                             2

     1  first responder served, including, but not limited to, a warm handoff to
     2  mental health services for individuals identified as being in duress.
     3    (d)  The  commissioner  shall  not  require the recipient of any grant
     4  under this section to  maintain  records  on  first  responders  seeking
     5  support or report any personal identifying information directly or indi-
     6  rectly to the commissioner.
     7    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.