Assembly Bill A1479

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1479
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Governmental Operations
 
 AN  ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring counties to
   maintain a confidential registry of people of all ages with  disabili-
   ties for evacuation and sheltering during disasters

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 23-a of the executive law, as added by chapter  658
 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
   §  23-a.  [County]  CONFIDENTIAL COUNTY registry of [disabled persons]
 PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH DISABILITIES, AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN  SUBDI-
 VISION  TWENTY-ONE  OF  SECTION  TWO HUNDRED NINETY-TWO OF THIS CHAPTER;
 notice.   1.   In each county having  a  local  [disaster  preparedness]
 COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT plan pursuant to section twenty-three
 of  this  article,  in order to meet the special needs of persons OF ALL
 AGES WITH DISABILITIES who would need assistance during evacuations  and
 sheltering  because  of  physical or mental [handicaps] DISABILITIES, it
 [is recommended] SHALL BE REQUIRED that each chief executive maintain  a
 CONFIDENTIAL  registry  of  [disabled  persons]  PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH
 DISABILITIES located within the county.  PEOPLE OF ALL AGES  WITH  DISA-
 BILITIES  SHALL  BE GIVEN THE OPTION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRY. The
 [registration] REGISTRY shall identify those persons in need of  assist-
 ance  and  plan  for resource allocation to meet those identified needs.
 To assist the chief executive in identifying such  persons,  the  county
 department of health, [or] AND THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES,
 THE  COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH, such other county department or
 agency as designated by the chief executive, shall  provide  [voluntary]
 INFORMATION  ABOUT THE REGISTRY AND THE registration [information] PROC-
 ESS to all of its [special needs clients] CONSUMERS  OF  ALL  AGES  WITH
 DISABILITIES  and  to  all  incoming  [clients] CONSUMERS as part of the
 intake process.  The registry shall be updated annually.  The  registra-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03518-01-5
              

 A. 1479                             2

 tion  program shall give [disabled persons] SUCH PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH
 DISABILITIES the option of pre-authorizing emergency response  personnel
 to enter their homes during search and rescue operations if necessary to
 assure their safety and welfare during disasters.
   2.  Upon  the  establishment of a [voluntary] CONFIDENTIAL registry of
 [disabled persons] PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH DISABILITIES as  provided  in
 subdivision  one  of  this  section, the chief executive shall make such
 registry available to the appropriate county, state and federal agencies
 for their use in delivering services in the event of a  local  or  state
 disaster.  The  chief  executive shall, upon [the] request [of the state
 emergency management  office],  provide  such  registry  information  to
 [such]  THE  STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT office, PROVIDED THAT THE CONFI-
 DENTIALITY OF SUCH INFORMATION IS PRESERVED.  The chief  executive  may,
 at [his] SUCH CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S discretion, use the registry information
 for  local disaster preparedness [only] in coordination with other poli-
 tical subdivisions of the state, PROVIDED THAT  THE  CONFIDENTIALITY  OF
 SUCH INFORMATION IS PRESERVED.
   3.    Upon the establishment of a [voluntary] CONFIDENTIAL registry of
 [disabled persons] PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH DISABILITIES as  provided  in
 subdivision  one  of  this section, [at least semi-annually,] each chief
 executive shall ANNUALLY cause to be published in a newspaper of general
 circulation within the county  a  notice  of  the  availability  of  the
 [voluntary] registration program AND EACH CHIEF EXECUTIVE SHALL, IN SUCH
 CHIEF  EXECUTIVE'S DISCRETION, ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGIS-
 TRY AND THE REGISTRATION PROCESS TO OTHER  FORMS  OF  MEDIA,  AND  SHALL
 FURTHER  ENSURE THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGISTRY AND THE REGISTRATION
 PROCESS IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE OF SUCH COUNTY.
   4. All records, data, information, correspondence  and  communications
 relating  to  the  registration of [disabled persons] PEOPLE OF ALL AGES
 WITH DISABILITIES as provided in subdivision one  of  this  section  are
 confidential,  except  that such information shall be available to other
 county chief executives for local  disaster  preparedness  only  as  the
 chief executive of the county maintaining such registry deems necessary.
 Provided,  however,  the  individual  file of a person having registered
 with the CONFIDENTIAL registry of [disabled persons] PEOPLE OF ALL  AGES
 WITH DISABILITIES shall be made available to that person upon request.
   5.  All community-based services providers, including home health care
 providers, shall assist the chief executive by  collecting  CONFIDENTIAL
 registration  information  for  people  [with special needs] OF ALL AGES
 WITH DISABILITIES WHO CHOOSE TO PROVIDE  SUCH  INFORMATION  as  part  of
 program  intake  processes, establishing programs to increase the aware-
 ness of the registration  process,  and  educating  [clients]  CONSUMERS
 about  the  procedures  that  may  be  necessary for their safety during
 disasters.
   6. A county shall not be liable for any claim based upon  the  REASON-
 ABLE,  good  faith exercise or performance or the REASONABLE, good faith
 failure to exercise or perform a function or duty on  the  part  of  any
 officer or employee in carrying out a local disaster preparedness plan.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.