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Senate Bill S1740

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires pharmacies to provide prescription drug readers

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

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2025-S1740 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A4039
Current Committee:
Senate Higher Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Add §6810-a, Ed L

2025-S1740 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires pharmacies to provide prescription drug readers or other means of access to individuals who disclose they have difficulty seeing or reading standard print labels on prescription drug containers; defines "prescription drug reader" to mean a device which is capable of audibly conveying information contained on the label of a prescription drug; makes exceptions.

2025-S1740 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1740 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1740
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 13, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. MARTINEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  prescription  drug
   label accessibility
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6810-a
 to read as follows:
   § 6810-A. PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL  ACCESSIBILITY.  1.  ALL  PHARMACIES
 WITH  THE  EXCEPTION OF THOSE CITED IN SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION
 SHALL PROVIDE PRESCRIPTION DRUG READERS OR  OTHER  MEANS  OF  ACCESS  TO
 INDIVIDUALS WHO DISCLOSE THEY HAVE DIFFICULTY SEEING OR READING STANDARD
 PRINT  LABELS  ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG CONTAINERS. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS
 SECTION, "PRESCRIPTION DRUG READER" SHALL MEAN A DEVICE WHICH IS CAPABLE
 OF  AUDIBLY  CONVEYING  INFORMATION  CONTAINED  ON  THE   LABEL   OF   A
 PRESCRIPTION DRUG.
   2. THIS SECTION SHALL REQUIRE PHARMACIES TO:
   (A)  ENSURE THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG READER IS DISPENSED FOR AT LEAST THE
 DURATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S PRESCRIPTION;
   (B) ENSURE THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG READER COMES AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO
 THE INDIVIDUAL;
   (C) MAKE SUSTAINED, PERIODIC AND  REASONABLE  EFFORTS  TO  INFORM  THE
 GENERAL  PUBLIC THAT PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN
 ALTERNATIVE ACCESSIBLE FORMATS;
   (D) MAKE SUSTAINED, PERIODIC AND REASONABLE EFFORTS TO INFORM INDIVID-
 UALS  WITH  PRIOR  RECORDS  OF  LOW  VISIBILITY   AND   BLINDNESS   THAT
 PRESCRIPTION  DRUG  READERS  OR  OTHER  MEANS OF ACCESS ARE AVAILABLE IN
 ALTERNATIVE ACCESSIBLE FORMATS; AND
   (E) CONSULT BEST PRACTICE STANDARDS ESTABLISHED  BY  THE  U.S.  ACCESS
 BOARD.
   3. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05311-01-5

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