STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8272 IN SENATE May 1, 2020 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to grants for nursing homes and adult care facilities to hire additional employees during the COVID-19 pandemic; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 2807-ii to read as follows: 3 § 2807-ii. Pandemic displaced employees grants for nursing homes and 4 adult care facilities. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision 5 of law to the contrary, within funds appropriated for services and 6 expenses related to the outbreak of coronavirus disease of two thousand 7 nineteen (COVID-19) pursuant to chapter fifty of the laws of two thou- 8 sand twenty, the commissioner shall make grants available pursuant to 9 this section to nursing homes and adult care facilities that have hired 10 an employee or multiple employees who have been displaced from their 11 place of employment due to any executive order issued by the governor 12 related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 13 (b) Such grants shall cover eligible costs associated with hiring 14 individuals who have been displaced from their place of employment due 15 to any executive order issued by the governor related to COVID-19, 16 including, but not limited to (i) administrative costs associated with 17 recruiting such individuals for employment, as well as training, certif- 18 ication and orientation; or (ii) salary for temporary employment of such 19 individuals to staff phone lines at such facilities that are solely 20 dedicated to providing information on residents of such facilities to 21 family members of such residents for as long as the governor's declara- 22 tion of a state disaster emergency, pursuant to executive order number 23 two hundred two of two thousand twenty remains in effect. 24 (c) The commissioner may promulgate rules and regulations related to 25 determining eligible costs associated with hiring individuals who have 26 been displaced from their place of employment due to any executive order EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD16250-02-0S. 8272 2 1 issued by the governor related to COVID-19, the distribution of grants 2 pursuant to this section, and the responsibilities of nursing homes and 3 adult care facilities that have received such grants. 4 2. Grants shall, as equitably as possible, be distributed among nurs- 5 ing homes and adult care facilities in urban, suburban and rural areas 6 of the state, reflective of the needs of each area due to the COVID-19 7 pandemic. 8 3. Grants made by the commissioner pursuant to subparagraph (i) of 9 paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section shall not exceed three 10 thousand dollars for each employee hired who had been displaced from 11 their place of employment due to any executive order issued by the 12 governor related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commissioner is author- 13 ized to establish limits on grants made for each employee hired by a 14 facility, or limits on grants made to each facility, pursuant to subpar- 15 agraph (ii) of paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section. 16 4. The commissioner shall prepare and submit a report to the governor 17 and the legislature, including to the temporary president of the senate, 18 the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the 19 minority leader of the assembly, on or before September first, two thou- 20 sand twenty-one, indicating grant recipients and the amount of each 21 grant awarded pursuant to this section. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 23 deemed repealed October 1, 2021.