Bill Text: NY S08385 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enacts the "New York Nursing Home Protection Act of 2020" which requires the commissioner of health to ensure all nursing home staff receives COVID-19 testing twice weekly and all residents shall receive such testing weekly; and the department of health shall provide sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) for all staff and residents.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-21 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S08385 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08385-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8385

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 21, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

        AN ACT requiring the commissioner of health to ensure all  nursing  home
          residents  and  staff  receive COVID-19 testing; and providing for the
          repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

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

     1    Section  1. This act shall be known and cited as the "New York Nursing
     2  Home Protection Act of 2020".
     3    § 2. The commissioner of health shall create and implement  a  program
     4  to ensure that all staff of nursing homes throughout the state are test-
     5  ed  twice weekly for COVID-19. Residents shall be tested for COVID-19 on
     6  a weekly basis.  The  department  of  health  shall  provide  sufficient
     7  personal  protective  equipment  (PPE)  for  all staff and residents and
     8  provide for the cost of the testing.
     9    § 3. For the purposes of this act, the following terms shall have  the
    10  following meanings:
    11    (a)  "nursing home" shall mean a place to live where care is available
    12  for people of all ages, including children,  who  need  twenty-four-hour
    13  nursing  care  and  supervision  outside  of a hospital. Such care shall
    14  include basic care and specialized services;
    15    (b) "nursing home resident" shall mean a person who resides in a nurs-
    16  ing home; and
    17    (c) "nursing home staff" shall mean a person  who  is  employed  by  a
    18  nursing home.
    19    § 4. Necessary funding to implement the program established in section
    20  one  of  this  act  shall  come  from existing resources, federal funds,
    21  private sources, and appropriations from the general fund.
    22    § 5. This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately;  provided  that  the
    23  provisions  of  this  act  shall  expire and be deemed repealed upon the
    24  expiration of the declared state of  emergency  relating  to  the  novel
    25  coronavirus  (COVID-19);  and provided, further, that the superintendent
    26  of financial services shall notify the legislative bill drafting commis-
    27  sion upon the occurrence of the expiration of the state  disaster  emer-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16383-03-0
        S. 8385                             2

     1  gency  declared by executive order number 202 and any further amendments
     2  or modifications, and as may be further extended pursuant to section  28
     3  of the executive law, in order that the commission may maintain an accu-
     4  rate  and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of
     5  the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the  provisions  of
     6  section  44  of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public offi-
     7  cers law.