Bill Text: NY S08610 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

New York Senate Bill 8610 (Prior Session Legislation)

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

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-29 - PRINT NUMBER 8610A [S08610 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08610-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8610--A

                    IN SENATE

                                      June 22, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  SERINO, JORDAN -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Finance  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee

        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 7.49 to
     4  read as follows:
     5  § 7.49 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  which  submits  to  the
    11  commissioner  an  application, in a form prescribed by the commissioner,
    12  containing such information  and  assurances  as  the  commissioner  may
    13  require  to  provide  initial  and continued training in mental illness,
    14  including but not limited to suicide  prevention,  for  first  responder
    15  peer volunteers.
    16    (b)  The  commissioner  shall,  subject  to appropriation, establish a
    17  grant program to be known as the "first responder peer support program".
    18  The program shall  provide  grants,  with  appropriations  therefor,  to
    19  eligible  entities  for  the purpose of establishing peer-to-peer mental
    20  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
    25  first responder served.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13660-05-0

        S. 8610--A                          2

     1    (d)  The  commissioner  shall  not  require the recipient of any grant
     2  under this section to  maintain  records  on  first  responders  seeking
     3  support or report any personal identifying information directly or indi-
     4  rectly to the commissioner.
     5    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.