The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2944
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 1, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. CLARK, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, KELLES, SIMON, JACKSON,
   GLICK, MITAYNES -- read once and referred to the Committee  on  Mental
   Health
 
 AN ACT directing the commissioner of mental health to establish a mater-
   nal mental health workgroup to study and issue recommendations related
   to maternal mental health and perinatal and postpartum mood and anxie-
   ty  disorders;  and  providing  for  the repeal of such provision upon
   expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The commissioner of mental health shall establish a mater-
 nal mental health workgroup (referred to in this section as  the  "work-
 group")  within the office of mental health. The workgroup shall consist
 of, at the minimum, the commissioner of mental health  or  his,  her  or
 their  designee,  the  commissioner of the office of children and family
 services or his, her or their designee; the commissioner of the  depart-
 ment  of  health  or  his,  her  or their designee; representatives from
 statewide mental health  organizations;  representatives  from  maternal
 health  care  provider  organizations;  representatives from health care
 provider organizations; representatives from the health insurance indus-
 try; and any additional stakeholders that the commissioners deem  neces-
 sary.  At  least  one-third  of  the  members shall be from historically
 underrepresented communities that are disproportionately impacted by the
 underdiagnoses of maternal mental health disorders.
   § 2.  Workgroup  members  shall  receive  no  compensation  for  their
 services  as members of the workgroup, but shall be reimbursed for their
 actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties on the  work
 group.    Reimbursement  shall  allow  for historically underrepresented
 communities to participate wholly in the performance of their duties  on
 the  workgroup by providing, if necessary, reimbursements for reasonable

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04707-01-3
 A. 2944                             2

 
 expenses incurred that may include, but not be  limited  to,  childcare,
 travel, meals and lodging.
   §  3.  It shall be the duty of the workgroup to study and issue recom-
 mendations related to maternal mental health and perinatal and  postpar-
 tum mood and anxiety disorders. The workgroup shall:
   a.  identify  underrepresented  and  vulnerable  populations  and risk
 factors in the state for maternal mental health disorders that may occur
 during pregnancy and through the first postpartum year;
   b. identify and recommend effective, culturally competent, and  acces-
 sible  prevention screening and identification and treatment strategies,
 including public education and workplace awareness,  provider  education
 and training, and social support services;
   c.  identify  successful postpartum mental health initiatives in other
 states and recommend programs, tools, strategies,  and  funding  sources
 that are needed to implement similar initiatives in the state;
   d.  identify  and  recommend  evidence-based practices for health care
 providers and public health systems;
   e. identify and recommend private and public funding models;
   f. make recommendations on legislation,  policy  initiatives,  funding
 requirements  and budgetary priorities to address maternal mental health
 needs in the state;
   g. any other relevant issues identified by the workgroup; and
   h. submit a final report containing all findings  and  recommendations
 to  the  governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of
 the assembly, the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of the
 office of children and family services, the commissioner of the  depart-
 ment of health, the minority leader of the senate and the minority lead-
 er of the assembly on or before December 31, 2023.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire two years
 after such effective date when upon such date the provisions of this act
 shall be deemed repealed.