NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1827

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 14, 2025	referred to finance

co-Sponsors

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4844
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Appropriations
Laws Affected:: Add §7.50, Ment Hyg L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S8371, A10950
2021-2022: S2553, A3501
2023-2024: S4388, A3702

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the health care worker peer support program.

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1827

SPONSOR: ASHBY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to enacting the
health care worker peer support program; and making an appropriation
therefor

 
PURPOSE:

To amend the state law, in relation enacting the health care worker peer
support program; and making an appropriation therefor

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 establishes the name of the act as the "health care worker
peer support program".

Section 2 amends the mental hygiene law by creating a new section 7.49,
which creates the health care worker peer support program.

Section 7.49 establishes definitions for the program and directs the
commissioner of mental health to establish standards for this program as
well as create a grant program to support it.

Section 3 appropriates $10,000,000 to the office of mental health to
support the health care worker peer support program.

Section 4 establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State
revealed the depths of sacrifice that health care workers are willing to
make for the benefit of their community. Several news outlets - includ-
ing Newsday - have cited the effects that the response has had on these
health care workers, with many experiencing anxiety and depression as
well as a potential for lasting post-traumatic stress disorder. These
negative mental effects have serious consequences. On April 28th, 2020,
CNN reported that Dr. Lorna Breen committed suicide; Dr. Breen was a New
York City area emergency room doctor who not only treated COVID-19
patients but contracted it herself. This bill aims to prevent such trag-
edies by using a well-established support methodology; establishing a
peer-to-peer support program.

This legislation is modeled on the Joseph P. Dwyer peer-to-peer program,
which provides mental health support to veterans by providing for confi-
dential, peerto-peer approach. This legislation also provides
$10,000,000 in appropriations for support of the program, and going
forward it will be subject to appropriations in the budget process.

This bill, which uses tried-and-true solutions to mental health prob-
lems, will provide peace of mind to frontline health care workers in the
future and will also help New York State lead the way in doing all it
can for these important individuals.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: S.4388- Referred to finance.

2021-22: S.2553-Referred to finance.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

$10,000,000 in FY 2025.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1827
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  ASHBY, TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law,  in  relation  to  enacting  the
   health  care  worker peer support program; and making an appropriation
   therefor

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  This  act  shall be known and may be cited as the "health
 care worker peer support program".
   § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 7.50 to
 read as follows:
 § 7.50 HEALTH CARE WORKER PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM.
   (A) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS  SHALL  HAVE
 THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (1) "PROGRAM" SHALL MEAN THE "HEALTH CARE WORKER PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM"
 ESTABLISHED BY THIS SECTION.
   (2)  "ELIGIBLE  ENTITIES"  SHALL  MEAN  AN ENTITY WHICH SUBMITS TO THE
 COMMISSIONER AN APPLICATION, IN A FORM PRESCRIBED BY  THE  COMMISSIONER,
 CONTAINING  SUCH  INFORMATION  AND  ASSURANCES  AS  THE COMMISSIONER MAY
 REQUIRE TO PROVIDE INITIAL AND CONTINUED  TRAINING  IN  MENTAL  ILLNESS,
 INCLUDING  BUT NOT LIMITED TO POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND SUICIDE
 PREVENTION, FOR HEALTH CARE WORKER VOLUNTEERS.
   (B) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ESTABLISH A GRANT PROGRAM TO  BE  KNOWN  AS
 THE  "HEALTH  CARE  WORKER  PEER  SUPPORT  PROGRAM".  SUCH PROGRAM SHALL
 PROVIDE GRANTS, WITHIN APPROPRIATIONS THEREFOR, TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES FOR
 THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING  PEER-TO-PEER  MENTAL  HEALTH  PROGRAMS  FOR
 HEALTH CARE WORKERS.
   (C)  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  ESTABLISH  STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO SUCH
 PROGRAM. SUCH STANDARDS SHALL INCLUDE INITIAL AND CONTINUED TRAINING FOR
 HEALTH CARE WORKER PEER VOLUNTEERS, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFING  NEEDS,  AND
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03778-01-5
 S. 1827                             2

 
 BEST  PRACTICES  FOR  ADDRESSING  THE  NEEDS  OF EACH HEALTH CARE WORKER
 SERVED.
   (D) GRANTS MAY BE AWARDED BY THE COMMISSIONER TO AN ELIGIBLE ENTITY IN
 AN AMOUNT THAT DOES NOT EXCEED TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   (E)  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  NOT  REQUIRE THE RECIPIENT OF ANY GRANT
 UNDER THIS SECTION TO MAINTAIN RECORDS ON HEALTH  CARE  WORKERS  SEEKING
 SUPPORT OR REPORT ANY PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION DIRECTLY OR INDI-
 RECTLY TO THE COMMISSIONER.
   §  3. The sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000), or so much thereof
 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated  to  the  office  of  mental
 health  out  of  any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to
 the credit of the state purposes account,  not  otherwise  appropriated,
 and  made  immediately  available,  for  the purpose of carrying out the
 provisions of this act.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S1827

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Jacob Ashby

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

James Tedisco

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1827 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments