Assembly Bill A4073

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4073
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 31, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. CUNNINGHAM, FORREST, LEVENBERG -- read once and
   referred to the Committee on Correction
 
 AN ACT to amend the correction  law,  in  relation  to  providing  doula
   services  at  all  correctional  institutions  and  local correctional
   facilities

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 611-b
 to read as follows:
   §  611-B.  DOULA  SERVICES.  1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM
 "DOULA"  MEANS  A  TRAINED  PERSON  WHO  PROVIDES  CONTINUOUS  PHYSICAL,
 EMOTIONAL  AND INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT TO A PREGNANT PERSON AND THE FAMILY
 BEFORE, DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER CHILDBIRTH, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING
 A PREGNANT PERSON THROUGH THE BIRTH EXPERIENCE; OR A TRAINED PERSON  WHO
 SUPPORTS  THE  FAMILY OF A NEWBORN DURING THE FIRST DAYS AND WEEKS AFTER
 CHILDBIRTH, PROVIDING EVIDENCE-BASED  INFORMATION,  PRACTICAL  HELP  AND
 ADVICE TO THE FAMILY ON NEWBORN CARE, SELF-CARE AND NURTURING OF THE NEW
 FAMILY UNIT.
   2.  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL RETAIN AN ORGANIZATION TO MAKE AT LEAST TWO
 DOULAS AT ANY GIVEN TIME AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE  DOULA  SERVICES  TWICE  A
 WEEK, FOR FOUR HOURS, AT ALL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL CORREC-
 TIONAL  FACILITIES  THAT  HOUSE INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS WHO IDENTIFY AS
 FEMALE, AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE DOULA SERVICES DURING LABOR AND  DELIVERY,
 UPON REQUEST.
   3.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ENSURE THAT DOULA SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AT A
 FREQUENCY TO BE DETERMINED BY  FACTORS  INCLUDING  AVAILABLE  DEPARTMENT
 RESOURCES  AND EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PERMIT DOULAS
 TO ACCESS ANY NURSERY RUN BY THE  DEPARTMENT  OR  A  LOCAL  CORRECTIONAL
 FACILITY, TO ACCESS AREAS WHERE PROGRAMMING IS TYPICALLY PROVIDED AND TO
 ACCOMPANY   INCARCERATED   INDIVIDUALS  TO  MEDICAL  APPOINTMENTS,  UPON
 REQUEST.  ALL KNOWN PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS IN THE CUSTODY OF  THE  DEPART-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06537-01-5
              

 A. 4073                             2
 
 MENT  OR  A  LOCAL  CORRECTIONAL  FACILITY SHALL BE PERMITTED TO UTILIZE
 DOULA SERVICES IN LABOR, DELIVERY AND POSTPARTUM ROOMS.
   4.  NO  LATER  THAN  JANUARY  FIFTEENTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN AND
 EVERY SIX MONTHS THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROVIDE TO THE  GOVER-
 NOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEM-
 BLY  AND  PUBLISH ON ITS WEBSITE, IN A MACHINE READABLE FORMAT, A REPORT
 ON THE NUMBER OF DOULA SERVICE HOURS PROVIDED,  THE  TYPES  OF  SERVICES
 PROVIDED,  AND  THE  NUMBER  OF  INCARCERATED  INDIVIDUALS SERVED IN THE
 PREVIOUS SIX-MONTH PERIOD.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.