Bill Text: NY S00135 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides practical support for access to abortion care including, but not limited to, reimbursement for ground and air transportation, lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S00135 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00135-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           135

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- 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 providing  practi-
          cal support for access to abortion care

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

     1    Section 1.  Subdivision 1 of section 2599-bb-1 of  the  public  health
     2  law, as added by section 1 of part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of 2024,
     3  is amended to read as follows:
     4    1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the follow-
     5  ing meanings:
     6    (a)  "Abortion"  shall  mean  the termination of pregnancy pursuant to
     7  section twenty-five hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article.
     8    (b) "Health care services" shall mean the range of care related to the
     9  provision of abortion.
    10    (c) "Practical support" shall mean financial assistance to an individ-
    11  ual to enable access to abortion care.
    12    (d) "Program" shall mean the reproductive  freedom  and  equity  grant
    13  program established pursuant to subdivision two of this section.
    14    §    2. Subdivision 3 of section 2599-bb-1 of the public health law is
    15  amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
    16    (c) Address practical support needs of individuals accessing  abortion
    17  care  for  individuals  who lack ability to pay for such support.  Funds
    18  may be awarded to support practical support  needs  including,  but  not
    19  limited  to,  reimbursement  for ground and air transportation, lodging,
    20  meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support.
    21    § 3. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph,  section
    22  or  part  of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent juris-
    23  diction to be invalid and  after  exhaustion  of  all  further  judicial
    24  review, the judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remain-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00206-01-5
        S. 135                              2

     1  der  thereof,  but  shall  be  confined  in its operation to the clause,
     2  sentence, paragraph, section or part of this act  directly  involved  in
     3  the controversy in which the judgment shall have been rendered.
     4    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.