Assembly Bill A755A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  755--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on  Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  requiring  the
   department  of  health  examine  heat  vulnerability  and heat-related
   deaths
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
 212 to read as follows:
   § 212. HEAT VULNERABILITY AND HEAT-RELATED DEATHS. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES
 OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A) "HEAT-EXACERBATED DEATH" MEANS A DEATH CAUSED  BY  NATURAL  CAUSES
 ESTIMATED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  TO HAVE RESULTED FROM AN EXISTING HEALTH
 CONDITION EXACERBATED BY EXTREME, OR NEAR EXTREME, HEAT.
   (I) SUCH ESTIMATION SHALL BE DETERMINED USING ONE OR MORE  STATISTICAL
 MODELS BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   (II)  AT  LEAST  ONE  SUCH  MODEL USED BY THE DEPARTMENT SHALL UTILIZE
 SENSITIVE STATISTICAL METHODS THAT ASSESS DAILY TEMPERATURE AS A CONTIN-
 UOUS VARIABLE IN RELATION TO DAILY MORTALITY TO ESTIMATE HEAT-EXACERBAT-
 ED DEATHS, WITHOUT THE USE OF A QUALIFYING TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD.
   (III) ONE SUCH MODEL SHALL UTILIZE SENSITIVE STATISTICAL METHODS  THAT
 ASSESS  DAILY  TEMPERATURE AS A CONTINUOUS VARIABLE IN RELATION TO DAILY
 MORTALITY TO ESTIMATE HEAT-EXACERBATED DEATHS,  WITHOUT  THE  USE  OF  A
 QUALIFYING TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD.
   (B) "HEAT STRESS DEATH" MEANS A DEATH DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO HEAT ON A
 DEATH  CERTIFICATE,  OR  WITH AN UNDERLYING OR CONTRIBUTING CAUSE OF (I)
 EXCESSIVE NATURAL HEAT OR (II) THE EFFECTS OF HEAT AND  LIGHT,  AS  SUCH
 CONDITIONS  ARE  DEFINED IN THE MOST RECENT EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL
 CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES, PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00862-02-5
 A. 755--A                           2
 
   (C) "HEAT VULNERABILITY" MEANS  THE  ESTIMATED  RISK  OF  HEAT  STRESS
 DEATHS  AND  HEAT  EXACERBATED  DEATHS  OCCURRING IN A GEOGRAPHICAL AREA
 BASED ON SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IDENTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   2.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ISSUE AN ANNUAL REPORT EXAMINING HEAT VULNER-
 ABILITY AND HEAT-RELATED DEATHS IN THE STATE.  SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE
 BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (A) THE NUMBER OF HEAT STRESS DEATHS IN THE MOST  RECENT  YEAR  AVAIL-
 ABLE;
   (B)  THE  ESTIMATION OF PAST HEAT-EXACERBATED DEATHS BASED ON THE MOST
 RECENT AVAILABLE YEARS OF DATA AND THE SMALLEST INTERVAL  OF  TIME  THAT
 YIELDS A RELIABLE ESTIMATE;
   (C)  A DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATIVE HEAT VULNERABILITY OF EACH NEW YORK
 COUNTY;
   (D) A DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED DATA;
   (E) A DESCRIPTION OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSESSED BY  THE
 DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE HEAT VULNERABILITY;
   (F)  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  METHODS USED TO DERIVE HEAT VULNERABILITY AND
 ESTIMATE HEAT-EXACERBATED DEATHS; AND
   (G) THE AGGREGATE  DEMOGRAPHIC  INFORMATION  OF  HEAT  STRESS  DEATHS,
 INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT LIMITED TO, THE AGE, GENDER, COUNTY AND THE RACE OR
 ETHNICITY OF THE DECEDENTS.
   3. NO REPORT REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION SHALL CONTAIN PERSONAL IDENTIFY-
 ING INFORMATION.
   4. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS AS  MAY  BE
 NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   5.  THE  COMMISSIONER MAY ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF NEW
 YORK WHEREBY THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL  HYGIENE  PROVIDES
 TO  THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANY DATA AND ANALYSIS RELATED TO SUCH
 REPORT.
   6. SUCH REPORT SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE TEMPORARY  PRESIDENT  OF  THE
 SENATE,  THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE GOVERNOR NO LATER THAN JUNE
 FIFTEENTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER. SUCH  REPORT
 SHALL BE CONSPICUOUSLY POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   7.  NOTHING  IN  THIS  SECTION SHALL PREVENT THE CITY OF NEW YORK FROM
 ESTABLISHING, WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT  WITH  THE  COMMISSIONER,  AN  ANNUAL
 REPORT  EXAMINING  HEAT  VULNERABILITY AND HEAT RELATED DEATHS OCCURRING
 WITHIN THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.