Senate Bill S10393

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10393
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ASHBY  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN ACT to enact the "New York mosquito surveillance act"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "New York mosquito surveillance act".
   § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that it is
 in the public interest to have  a  comprehensive  mosquito  surveillance
 program  in  the  state,  rather than a piece-meal approach. In order to
 best create the program, the legislature  first  wants  to  establish  a
 year-long  task force to study, evaluate and develop budgeting and other
 recommendations relating  to  specific  actionable  measures  needed  to
 implement integrated state-wide mosquito surveillance.
   § 3. New York mosquito surveillance task force. 1. The commissioner of
 environmental  conservation,  in  coordination  with the commissioner of
 health, is hereby authorized to establish the New York mosquito surveil-
 lance task force to study and assess the future of mosquito surveillance
 in the state.
   2. Such task force shall consist of thirteen members with demonstrated
 expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force. The  members
 of the task force shall be appointed as follows:
   (a)  seven  members  shall  be  appointed  by  the governor. The seven
 members appointed by the governor shall  include:  the  commissioner  of
 health,  or  their designee; the commissioner of environmental conserva-
 tion, or their designee; the commissioner of agriculture and markets, or
 their designee; the chancellor of the state university of New  York,  or
 their  designee;  the  commissioner  of  the New York city department of
 health, or their designee; the director  of  the  Wadsworth  center,  or
 their  designee;  and  a representative from the state university of New
 York's college of environmental science and forestry;
   (b) two members shall be appointed by the temporary president  of  the
 senate;
   (c) two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

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 S. 10393                            2
 
   (d) one member shall be appointed by the senate minority leader; and
   (e) one member shall be appointed by the assembly minority leader.
   3. The task force shall:
   (a)  study  and  report  on  current  mosquito  surveillance locations
 throughout the state, including but not limited to their costs,  methods
 of surveillance, length of monitoring season in relation to transmission
 season,  the  number  of  traps  used per site, types of traps and bait,
 which habitats are being targeted, which species of mosquitoes are being
 targeted and which are captured, trap counts, and collection schedule;
   (b) identify current best practices in mosquito surveillance that  are
 being executed in the state, as well as the gaps in the current surveil-
 lance;
   (c)  review current data reporting methods for mosquito monitoring and
 laboratory results and identify best practices or  make  recommendations
 for improvement;
   (d)  document other surveillance models that work well in other states
 and evaluate if New York state should adopt such models;
   (e) explore and document how to expand surveillance to encompass  each
 county located in the state;
   (f)  determine  the different variables to expand surveillance in each
 county including but not limited to the costs, any barriers, implementa-
 tion  schedule,  staffing  considerations,  administration,  number   of
 surveillance sites, additional biosafety level 3 laboratories that could
 be used for testing if necessary, and other testing considerations;
   (g)  record  current  revenue sources for surveillance, and where gaps
 exist; and
   (h) report on possible future revenue sources within the state  finan-
 cial  plan,  and explore cost-saving methods for counties, including but
 not limited to, county  partnerships  or  coordinating  with  the  state
 university of New York.
   4. The task force shall meet at least quarterly for one year following
 the  effective  date  of  this  act. No later than ninety days after the
 final task force meeting, a report shall be submitted by the task  force
 to  the governor and legislature. Such report shall provide its findings
 and recommendations, including timelines  and  actionable  measures,  to
 implement integrated state-wide mosquito surveillance.
   §  4. County plans of action. Within one year of the task force report
 being filed pursuant to subdivision four of section three of  this  act,
 each county in the state shall submit a plan of action to begin, contin-
 ue,  or  expand  mosquito surveillance. Such plans shall be submitted to
 the department of health, and the department of health shall  promulgate
 all  rules  and  regulations  necessary.  Each county in the state shall
 begin its plan of action within six months  of  submission  pursuant  to
 this  section, or by the start of the next mosquito season, or whichever
 time period is longer.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.