Bill Text: NY A09026 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates a community doula expansion grant program to support community-based doulas and community-based doula organizations; provides funding for recruitment, training, licensing, supporting, and/or mentoring of community-based doulas.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-05 - referred to health [A09026 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A09026-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9026

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 5, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Health

        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the creation of  a
          community  doula  expansion  grant  program;  and  to  amend the state
          finance law, in  relation  to  the  community  doula  expansion  grant
          program fund

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

     1    Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby declares  that
     2  poor  maternal  and  infant health outcomes, especially when it comes to
     3  racial disparities, are a public health crisis that pose a threat to the
     4  health, welfare, and quality of life of child  bearing  people,  infants
     5  and  their families. The legislature hereby acknowledges that community-
     6  based doula care is  one  solution  in  addressing  this  public  health
     7  crisis.  The  legislature also acknowledges imbalances in how doula care
     8  is accessed in different communities. The legislature also  acknowledges
     9  how  doulas  in  the BIPOC community are integrated, or lack integration
    10  into the maternal health continuum. The  legislature  acknowledges  that
    11  those  seeking  to  become  community-based  doulas  face a multitude of
    12  barriers,  including  institutional  barriers,  within  the   healthcare
    13  continuum. The legislature hereby finds the importance in establishing a
    14  dedicated  fund  to  support  community-based doulas and community-based
    15  doula organizations. This fund would be assisting those trying to  navi-
    16  gate  the Federal and State Medicaid frameworks for doula care to become
    17  community-based doulas. Which would be one step in solving the  existing
    18  barriers to those seeking equitable prenatal, intranatal, and postpartum
    19  care services.
    20    §  2.  Article  25 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
    21  title 3-A to read as follows:
    22                                 TITLE III-A
    23                      COMMUNITY DOULA EXPANSION PROGRAM
    24  Section 2560. Community doula expansion grant program.
    25          2561. Definitions.
    26          2562. Rules and regulations.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13594-01-3
        A. 9026                             2

     1          2563. Report.
     2    § 2560. Community  doula  expansion grant program. The community doula
     3  expansion grant program is established within the department.
     4    § 2561. Definitions. As used in this title:
     5    1.  "Eligible  providers"  shall  mean  community-based  organizations
     6  providing  for  the recruitment, training, licensing, supporting, and/or
     7  mentoring of community-based doulas.
     8    2. "Community-based doula" shall mean a certified doula that  provides
     9  culturally  sensitive  pregnancy and childbirth education, early linkage
    10  to health care, and aids birthing persons in navigating  other  services
    11  and supports that they may need to be healthy.
    12    §  2562.  Rules and regulations. 1. The commissioner shall establish a
    13  community doula  expansion  grant  program  for  eligible  providers  to
    14  receive  funding in the performance of recruitment, training, licensing,
    15  supporting, and/or mentoring of community-based  doulas.  Such  eligible
    16  providers  shall  meet  professionally  recognized  training  standards,
    17  comply with applicable state law and regulations, and shall  be  capable
    18  of providing culturally congruent care.
    19    2.  The  commissioner  is  authorized, within amounts appropriated for
    20  such purpose, to make grants in accordance with this  subdivision.  Such
    21  grants  may  be  used for but not limited to the administration, faculty
    22  recruitment and development, start-up costs and other costs incurred for
    23  providing recruitment, training, licensing, supporting, and/or mentoring
    24  of community-based doulas.
    25    3. There shall be an emphasis  of  appropriating  grants  to  eligible
    26  providers  that  specifically  train,  recruit,  and  employ doulas from
    27  historically vulnerable communities, BIPOC doulas, and bilingual doulas.
    28  This can include grants for doula apprentice programs.
    29    4. The  commissioner  shall  create  and  maintain  an  awareness  and
    30  outreach  program.  The  awareness  and outreach program shall be estab-
    31  lished for the purpose of  providing  education  and  awareness  of  the
    32  available grants and funds to eligible providers in the state.
    33    §  2563. Report. The commissioner shall establish a comprehensive list
    34  of reporting metrics to be included in a report due on December  thirty-
    35  first,  two  thousand twenty-four and annually thereafter, to the gover-
    36  nor, to the temporary president of the senate, and to the speaker of the
    37  assembly. The report shall include the comprehensive list  of  reporting
    38  metrics  and  shall  include, but not be limited to, the total amount of
    39  grants issued, the number of eligible providers, and the region  of  the
    40  state where the eligible provider is located.
    41    § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-rr to
    42  read as follows:
    43    §  99-rr.  Community  doula  expansion grant program fund. 1. There is
    44  hereby established in the joint custody of  the  state  comptroller  and
    45  commissioner  of  taxation and finance a special fund to be known as the
    46  "Community doula expansion grant program fund".
    47    2. Such fund shall consist of all monies appropriated thereto from any
    48  other fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing contained in this  section
    49  shall prevent the state from receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the
    50  purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into
    51  the fund according to law.
    52    3.  Monies  shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of
    53  the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by  the  commissioner
    54  of health.
        A. 9026                             3

     1    4.  The  monies in such fund shall be expended for the community doula
     2  expansion grant program in accordance with  the  provisions  of  section
     3  twenty-five hundred sixty-two of the public health law.
     4    §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
     5  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
     6  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
     7  this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
     8  on or before such effective date.