NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8561

Senate Bill S8561

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Expands eligibility for appointment to county boards of health and health services advisory boards

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 04, 2024	advanced to third reading
Feb 28, 2024	2nd report cal.
Feb 27, 2024	1st report cal.564
Feb 14, 2024	referred to health

Votes

- Feb 27, 2024 - Health Committee Vote
  S8561
  
  15
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Health Committee Vote: Feb 27, 2024
      
      aye (15)
      
      Ashby
      
      Brouk
      
      Felder
      
      Gallivan
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Mannion
      
      Martins
      
      May
      
      Myrie
      
      Rhoads
      
      Rivera
      
      Salazar
      
      Stec
      
      Thomas
      
      Webb

2023-S8561 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8232
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§343 & 357, Pub Health L

2023-S8561 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Expands eligibility for appointment to county boards of health and health services advisory boards to include nurse practitioners and physician assistants; expands to residents in the county or residents of a contiguous county who have a background in a health-related field and perform substantial work in the county associated with their health-related background.

2023-S8561 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8561

SPONSOR: RIVERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to expanding eligi-
bility for appointment to county boards of health and health services
advisory boards

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To amend the public health law to expand eligibility for those who serve
on the county boards of health

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 343 of the
Public Health Law, as it relates to county or part-county boards of
health; organization, by expanding the list of eligible providers to
serve on county health boards and the residency requirement

Section 2 of the bill amends subdivision 1 of section 357 of the Public

Health Law, as it relates to certain counties' health services advisory
boards, by expanding the list of eligible providers to serve on county
health boards; and adds a new section 7 related to the residency
requirements of board of health members.

Section 3 of the bill provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

There is a shortage of healthcare providers facing the State and the
local county health departments are feeling the impact of the shortage
as well. Per current public health law, the local boards of health are
to have three physicians on the board. Many of the local health depart-
ments, especially in rural areas, are having trouble meeting this statu-
tory requirement because there are not enough physicians in certain
areas of the State who have the time to add serving on a county health
department to their already busy schedules.

This legislation would amend the law to make the requirement for health
care providers such that at least one physician serve on the board and
the other two positions for physicians permitted to be filled by a nurse
practitioner or physician assistant. Further, the law would be amended
to allow for a board member from a contiguous county to serve on a local
board of health as long as they do substantial work in that county and
have a healthcare practitioner background.

These changes will allow for flexibility on the composition of the local
county health boards while still ensuring that there is healthcare
provider expertise and will help to ensure that the county health boards
have a full complement of members, which is not the current case in New
York.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2023-S8561 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8561
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 14, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RIVERA -- 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  expanding  eligi-
   bility  for appointment to county boards of health and health services
   advisory boards
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivisions  1 and 2 of section 343 of the public health
 law are amended to read as follows:
   1. The board of health of a  county  or  part-county  health  district
 shall  consist  of  seven  members, one of whom shall be a member of the
 board of supervisors, selected by the board of supervisors, and at least
 [three] ONE of whom shall be [physicians] A PHYSICIAN LICENSED TO  PRAC-
 TICE  IN  THE  STATE  OF NEW YORK, AND TWO OF WHOM SHALL BE A PHYSICIAN,
 NURSE PRACTITIONER,  PHYSICIAN  ASSISTANT  OR  ANY  COMBINATION  THEREOF
 licensed  to practice in the state of New York, and in addition thereto,
 each city which becomes a part  of  the  county  or  part-county  health
 district  shall  be  entitled to one additional representative member on
 the board of health.
   2. The members of the board of  health  of  a  county  or  part-county
 health  district shall be residents of the health district OR A RESIDENT
 OF A CONTIGUOUS COUNTY WHO HAS A BACKGROUND IN  A  HEALTH-RELATED  FIELD
 AND  PERFORMS  OTHER SUBSTANTIAL WORK WITHIN THE HEALTH DISTRICT ASSOCI-
 ATED WITH THEIR HEALTH-RELATED BACKGROUND.
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 357 of the public health law,  as  added
 by chapter 55 of the laws of 1974, is amended and a new subdivision 7 is
 added to read as follows:
   1.  In  a county wherein the legislative body constitutes the board of
 health of such county under and pursuant to the  provisions  of  section
 three  hundred  fifty-six  of  this  [article]  TITLE,  the county shall
 provide for the appointment by the board of health of a health  services
 advisory  board  consisting  of  nine  members. [Two members] ONE MEMBER
 shall be [licensed physicians] A PHYSICIAN LICENSED TO PRACTICE  IN  THE
 STATE OF NEW YORK AND ONE MEMBER SHALL BE A PHYSICIAN, NURSE PRACTITION-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD13441-03-4
 S. 8561                             2
 
 ER,  OR  PHYSICIAN  ASSISTANT  LICENSED  TO PRACTICE IN THE STATE OF NEW
 YORK.   The remaining members of the board  shall  be  known  as  public
 members  and  shall be selected on the basis of their interest and know-
 ledge regarding the health needs, resources and facilities of the commu-
 nity.
   7.  BOARD  MEMBERS SHALL BE RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY OR A RESIDENT OF A
 CONTIGUOUS COUNTY WHO HAS A BACKGROUND IN  A  HEALTH-RELATED  FIELD  AND
 PERFORMS  OTHER SUBSTANTIAL WORK WITHIN THE COUNTY ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR
 HEALTH-RELATED BACKGROUND.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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