Bill Text: NY S05991 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires maternal healthcare facilities to permit doulas to be present in the operating room while a cesarean section is being performed.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-12-21 - APPROVAL MEMO.83 [S05991 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05991-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5991--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 24, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. PERSAUD, ADDABBO, FERNANDEZ, SEPULVEDA -- read twice
          and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
          on  Women's  Issues  --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to permitting  doulas
          to  be present in the operating room while a cesarean section is being
          performed

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

     1    Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
     2  2500-m to read as follows:
     3    § 2500-m. Cesarean section; persons present. 1.  No  person  shall  be
     4  denied  the  ability  to have a doula present in the operating room, for
     5  the duration such person is in an operating room, when such person is in
     6  the operating room for the purposes of a cesarean  section  and  has  no
     7  other support person available to them.
     8    2.  The department shall require all maternal healthcare facilities to
     9  include and/or post  on  the  maternal  healthcare  facility's  webpage,
    10  lobby,  and  patient waiting areas information stating a birthing parent
    11  is allowed to have a doula present in the operating room, for the  dura-
    12  tion  of such person is in an operating room, when such person is in the
    13  operating room for the purposes of a  cesarean  section  when  no  other
    14  support  person  is  available  to the birthing person. Such information
    15  shall be written in layperson's language and shall be made available  in
    16  English and the six most common non-English languages spoken by individ-
    17  uals  with limited English proficiency in New York state as based on the
    18  most recent census. The department shall produce  and  provide  maternal
    19  healthcare  facilities  with  informational pamphlets stating a birthing
    20  parent shall be allowed to have a doula present in the  operating  room,
    21  for  the  duration  of  such  person  is in an operating room, when such
    22  person is in the operating room for the purposes of a cesarean  section.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10162-03-3
        S. 5991--A                          2

     1  The  informational  pamphlet shall be: available in each patient waiting
     2  area as a printed deliverable; written in layperson's language; and made
     3  available in English and  the  six  most  common  non-English  languages
     4  spoken by individuals with limited English proficiency in New York state
     5  as based on the most recent census.
     6    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.