Bill Text: NY A01559 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates the lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research grants program; provides such grants, not to exceed $50,000, would be awarded on a competitive basis to biomedical research institutions conducting direct research related to lymphedema and lymphatic disease.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-10 - referred to health [A01559 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A01559-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1559 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to establishing a lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research grants program; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to creating the lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research and education fund The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new 2 section 3153-a to read as follows: 3 § 3153-a. Lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research grants program. 4 1. The foundation shall, within available appropriations, establish the 5 lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research grants program, hereafter 6 "grants program". The grants program shall be administered by the foun- 7 dation, in consultation with the department of health. Such grants 8 program funds shall be used to provide financial assistance in the form 9 of grants, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars per grant, to New York 10 state biomedical research institutions for working capital to further 11 new and emerging research and development for the diagnosis and treat- 12 ment of lymphedema and lymphatic diseases. Such grants shall be awarded 13 on a competitive basis to biomedical research institutions responding to 14 requests for proposals issued by the foundation when funds are appropri- 15 ated. 16 2. (a) "Biomedical research institution" shall mean a not-for-profit 17 university, college, hospital, private or federal research laboratory 18 located in New York state, or a consortium of such entities, that 19 conducts an intensive and ongoing program of research and development 20 directly related to lymphedema and/or lymphatic diseases research. 21 (b) "Lymphedema" shall mean an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the 22 interstitial tissue that causes swelling, most often in the arms and/or 23 legs, and occasionally in other parts of the body, from any cause. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03938-01-5A. 1559 2 1 (c) "Lymphatic diseases" shall include but not be limited to: insuf- 2 ficiency of lymphatic circulatory function (to include all forms of 3 lymphedema), lipedema, complex congenital diseases of the lymphatic 4 vasculature, including lymphangiomatosis, lymphangioleio-myomatosis, 5 lymphangiectasias, lymphangiomas, cystic hygromas, Gorham's disease, 6 lymphangiosarcoma, and complex vascular/lymphatic malformations. 7 3. In addition to such other criteria as the foundation may adopt in 8 rules and regulations for the consideration of applications for grants 9 pursuant to subdivision one of this section, the foundation shall: 10 (a) determine that the applicant is unable to obtain sufficient fund- 11 ing on reasonable terms from other public or private sources to permit 12 the institution's planned investment to proceed without the required 13 assistance; 14 (b) give priority to those applications for assistance from biomedical 15 research institutions that secure private support for research or commit 16 new resources to the expansion of lymphedema and lymphatic diseases 17 research; and 18 (c) consider the potential long term economic benefits to the state of 19 awarding the specific grant and whether the grant will result in a 20 reasonable likelihood of success in meeting the purposes for which it 21 was sought by the applicant. 22 4. The foundation, in consultation with the department of health, may 23 apply to the national institutes of health, the United States department 24 of health and human services, and other appropriate federal, public, and 25 private entities for funding. Such monies shall be deposited into the 26 lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research and education fund, estab- 27 lished pursuant to section ninety-nine-ss of the state finance law. 28 5. The foundation shall submit to the governor, the speaker of the 29 assembly, the temporary president of the senate, and to any other state 30 legislator at their request, a report on the grants program by September 31 first, two thousand twenty-seven and annually thereafter. Such report 32 shall include, for each grant awarded, the name and location of the 33 recipient, a description of the product, device, technique, system or 34 process being researched and developed, the recipient's relationship to 35 the research institution, the amount and use of the grant, the total 36 project cost, and such other information as the foundation shall deem 37 appropriate. Such report shall also include a list of all applicants and 38 their contact information, regardless of receiving a grant, in order to 39 help demonstrate the need for future funds. 40 6. Nothing in this section shall require the foundation to disclose 41 any matters involving confidential intellectual property or work prod- 42 uct, whether patentable or not, including any formula, plan, pattern, 43 process, tool, mechanism, compound, procedure, production data or compi- 44 lation of information, which is not patented, but which is known only to 45 certain individuals who are using it to fabricate, produce or compound 46 an article of trade or service having commercial value and which gives 47 its user an opportunity to obtain a business advantage over competitors 48 who do not know it or use it. 49 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-ss to 50 read as follows: 51 § 99-ss. Lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research and education 52 fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the commis- 53 sioner of taxation and finance and the comptroller, a special fund to be 54 known as the lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research and education 55 fund, hereafter the "fund".A. 1559 3 1 2. Such fund shall consist of all monies appropriated, credited, or 2 transferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law. 3 Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the state from receiving 4 grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in 5 this section and depositing them into the fund according to law. 6 3. Monies of the fund shall be expended only for lymphedema and lymp- 7 hatic diseases research and education projects approved by the depart- 8 ment of health. 9 4. (a) "Lymphedema" shall mean an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in 10 the interstitial tissue that causes swelling, most often in the arms 11 and/or legs, and occasionally in other parts of the body, regardless of 12 cause. 13 (b) "Lymphatic diseases" shall include but not be limited to: insuf- 14 ficiency of lymphatic circulatory function (to include all forms of 15 lymphedema), lipedema, complex congenital diseases of the lymphatic 16 vasculature, including lymphangiomatosis, lymphangioleio-myomatosis, 17 lymphangiectasias, lymphangiomas, cystic hygromas, Gorham's disease, 18 lymphangiosarcoma, and complex vascular/lymphatic malformations. 19 (c) "Lymphedema and lymphatic diseases research and education 20 projects" shall mean research by qualified researchers, as determined by 21 the department of health, to stimulate research on the pathogenesis and 22 new treatments for lymphedema and lymphatic diseases. Education projects 23 are those projects which promote and provide information on lymphedema 24 and lymphatic diseases including: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, 25 long-term chronic care, and/or research by qualified organizations as 26 determined by the department of health. 27 5. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of 28 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner 29 of health. 30 6. To the extent practicable, the commissioner of health shall ensure 31 that all monies received during a fiscal year are expended prior to the 32 end of that fiscal year. 33 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
