Bill Text: NY A00361 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes the reproductive freedom and equity 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 59-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to health [A00361 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A00361-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 361--B 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 6, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, PAULIN, ANDERSON, AUBRY, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, BRONSON, BURDICK, BURGOS, CARROLL, CLARK, CRUZ, CUNNINGHAM, DAVILA, DE LOS SANTOS, DINOWITZ, EPSTEIN, FORREST, GALLAGHER, GIBBS, GLICK, HEVESI, JACOBSON, JEAN-PIERRE, KELLES, KIM, LAVINE, LUNSFORD, MAMDANI, MITAYNES, OTIS, RAJKUMAR, REYES, RIVERA, L. ROSENTHAL, ROZIC, SEAWRIGHT, SEPTIMO, SIMON, TAPIA, THIELE, WALKER, WEPRIN, ZINERMAN, BORES, ARDILA, SIMONE, SHIMSKY, RAGA, SHRESTHA, SOLAGES, LUCAS, DARLING, LEVENBERG, FAHY, LEE, SILLITTI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit- tee -- 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 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. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02278-05-3A. 361--B 2 1 2. There is hereby established in the department a reproductive free- 2 dom and equity grant program to ensure access to abortion care in the 3 state. The program shall provide funding to abortion providers and non- 4 profit organizations that provide or facilitate access to abortion care. 5 The program shall be designed to provide support to abortion providers 6 and non-profit organizations to increase access to care, fund uncompen- 7 sated care, and to address the support needs of individuals accessing 8 abortion care. Funding used to support the program shall be subject to 9 appropriation. 10 3. The commissioner shall distribute funds made available for expendi- 11 ture under this section. In determining funding for applicants under the 12 grant program, the commissioner shall consider the following criteria 13 and goals: 14 (a) Increase access to care by growing the capacity of abortion 15 providers to meet present and future care needs. Funds may be awarded to 16 support the recruitment and retention of staff, patient navigators, 17 staff training, the establishment of new or renovation of existing 18 health centers, investments in technology to facilitate care, security 19 enhancements, and other operational or capital needs that increase 20 access to abortion care. 21 (b) Fund uncompensated health care services associated with abortion 22 care, to ensure the affordability of and access to care for individuals 23 who lack ability to pay for care, for individuals who lack insurance 24 coverage, are underinsured, or whose insurance is deemed unusable by the 25 rendering provider. 26 (c) Address practical support needs of individuals accessing abortion 27 care for individuals who lack ability to pay for such support. 28 4. In establishing and operating the program, the commissioner shall 29 consult a range of experts including but not limited to individuals and 30 entities providing abortion care, abortion funds and other organizations 31 whose mission is to expand access to abortion care, to ensure the 32 program structure and expenditures reflect the needs of abortion provid- 33 ers, abortion funds and consumers. The commissioner may make regulations 34 necessary for implementing the program. 35 5. The commissioner shall not request, or otherwise require, any 36 abortion provider or non-profit organization receiving monies from the 37 program to divulge the name, address, photograph, license number, email 38 address, phone number, or any other individual identifying information 39 of any patient, or individual who sought or received health care 40 services or practical support from an abortion provider or organization 41 under the program. 42 6. Any non-profit organization or abortion provider receiving funds 43 from the program shall take all necessary steps to ensure the confiden- 44 tiality of the individuals receiving services pursuant to state and 45 federal laws. 46 § 2. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section 47 or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent juris- 48 diction to be invalid and after exhaustion of all further judicial 49 review, the judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remain- 50 der thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, 51 sentence, paragraph, section or part of this act directly involved in 52 the controversy in which the judgment shall have been rendered. 53 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
