Senate Bill S5665

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a doula awareness and education program

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

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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2025-S5665 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A7332
Current Committee:
Senate Finance
Law Section:
Public Health Law
Laws Affected:
Add §207-b, Pub Health L

2025-S5665 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of health to conduct an ongoing public awareness and education program on doulas and how beneficial they are to pregnancies.

2025-S5665 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S5665 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5665
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 26, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Women's Issues
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in  relation  to  establishing  a
   doula awareness and education program
 
   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
 207-b to read as follows:
   §  207-B.  DOULA  AWARENESS AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.   1. THE DEPARTMENT
 SHALL CONDUCT AN ONGOING  PUBLIC  AWARENESS  AND  EDUCATION  PROGRAM  ON
 DOULAS AND HOW BENEFICIAL THEY ARE TO PREGNANCIES.
   2.  THE  DEPARTMENT SHALL PRODUCE AND DISTRIBUTE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
 ON THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A DOULA; A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL  WHO  PROVIDES
 EMOTIONAL,  PHYSICAL,  AND ENLIGHTENING SUPPORT DURING PREGNANCY, DELIV-
 ERY, AND BIRTH. SUCH MATERIALS SHALL BE MADE  TO  AVAILABLE  APPROPRIATE
 HEALTH  CARE PROVIDERS FOR DISTRIBUTION TO PATIENTS. ON ITS WEBSITE, THE
 DEPARTMENT SHALL ALSO PUBLISH INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES OF DOULAS
 IN REDUCING MORTALITY RATES FOR PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS AND  THE  INCREASED
 RISK OF THIS OCCURRING FOR PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PRIMARILY BLACK.
   3. NO PROVISION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE DEEMED TO PROHIBIT THE UTILI-
 ZATION  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  EDUCATIONAL  MATERIALS  RELATING  THERETO
 PRODUCED BY ANY PUBLIC, PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, IN LIEU  OF  THE
 DEPARTMENT'S PRODUCTION OF SUCH MATERIALS.
   4.  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL  PERIODICALLY  REVIEW AVAILABLE DATA ON THE
 MORTALITY RATE OF PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS IN RELATION TO DOULAS AND  UPDATE
 THE  INFORMATION PROVIDED IN ITS EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND ON ITS INTER-
 NET WEBSITE, AS APPROPRIATE.
   5. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REPORT EVERY THREE YEARS,  COMMENCING  JANUARY
 FIRST,  TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT, TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESI-
 DENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY ON THE IMPLEMENTATION
 OF THIS SECTION AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHERING THE  PURPOSES  OF
 THIS SECTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

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