NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6224

Senate Bill S6224

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires the development of a training program to educate first responders on effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals in emergency situations

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Disabilities 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 06, 2025	referred to disabilities

2025-S6224 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3363
Current Committee:: Senate Disabilities
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §559, Exec L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: A10366

2025-S6224 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the state interagency coordinating council for services to persons who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing to develop and implement a training program to educate first responders on effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals in emergency situations.

2025-S6224 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6224

SPONSOR: RYAN C
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring the state
interagency coordinating council for services to persons who are deaf,
deaf-blind, or hard of hearing to develop and implement a training
program to educate first responders on effective communication with deaf
and hard of hearing individuals in emergency situations

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To develop and implement a comprehensive language access program for
first responders in how to better communicate with deaf and hard of
hearing individuals.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill states that the bill should be known as the "Deaf
and Hard of Hearing Emergency Communications Act".

Section 2 amends the Executive Law by adding subdivision 6 of Section
559. Subdivision 6 states that the state interagency coordinating coun-
cil for services to persons who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing
will work with the Department of Health to design and implement a first
responder training program focused on comprehensive language access. The
subdivision also states that information on how to best communicate with
the deaf and hard of hearing should be distributed to the public. There
is also a provision that allows deaf and hard of hearing individuals to
provide feedback on their experiences with first responders.

Section 3 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Emergency situations are often when people are at their most vulnerable,
and in the greatest need of help. However, for the portion of New York-
ers that are deaf, hard of hearing, or unable to verbally communicate,
these situations can become much more challenging and potentially life-
threatening. Often, first responders do not have the tools or training
necessary to communicate with these patients. In February, a school bus
carrying seven students to the Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf in
Nassau County, Long Island slipped on a patch of black ice and crashed
on the side of the road.  Luckily, there were no serious injuries, but
it once again highlighted the need for these first responders to have a
better way to communicate with their patients.

To properly do this, there must be better training for those who serve
as first responders. A program should be designed with input from the
deaf and hard of hearing communities, to strategize better, more effi-
cient modes of communication in situations that need it the most.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: government operations

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S6224 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6224
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 6, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Disabilities
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to  requiring  the  state
   interagency coordinating council for services to persons who are deaf,
   deaf-blind,  or  hard  of  hearing to develop and implement a training
   program to educate first responders on  effective  communication  with
   deaf and hard of hearing individuals in emergency situations
 
   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 "deaf and hard of hearing emergency communications act".
   §  2.  Section  559  of  the  executive law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 6 to read as follows:
   6. THE STATE INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR SERVICES TO  PERSONS
 WHO  ARE  DEAF,  DEAF-BLIND,  OR HARD OF HEARING SHALL, IN COLLABORATION
 WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEVELOP  AND  IMPLEMENT  A  COMPREHENSIVE
 LANGUAGE  ACCESS  TRAINING  PROGRAM  FOR  FIRST  RESPONDERS, DESIGNED TO
 EDUCATE FIRST RESPONDERS ON STRATEGIES TO COMMUNICATE  EFFECTIVELY  WITH
 DEAF  AND  HARD OF HEARING INDIVIDUALS IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. IN ADDI-
 TION TO  DEVELOPING  AND  IMPLEMENTING  SUCH  LANGUAGE  ACCESS  TRAINING
 PROGRAM, THE STATE INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL SHALL:
   (A)  CREATE  AND DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS, INCLUDING BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO BROCHURES OR PAMPHLETS, TO EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON  HOW
 TO  COMMUNICATE  EFFECTIVELY  WITH  DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING INDIVIDUALS
 DURING EMERGENCIES;
   (B) ESTABLISH A SYSTEM TO ALLOW DEAF AND HARD OF  HEARING  INDIVIDUALS
 TO  PROVIDE  FEEDBACK  ON THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH FIRST RESPONDERS AND TO
 SUGGEST POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LANGUAGE ACCESS TRAINING PROGRAM;
   (C) CONDUCT REGULAR REVIEWS AND EVALUATIONS OF  THE  EFFECTIVENESS  OF
 THE LANGUAGE ACCESS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR FIRST RESPONDERS AND ANY NECES-
 SARY CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM TO ENSURE ITS ONGOING IMPROVEMENT;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05044-01-5

 S. 6224                             2
 
   (D)  DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A SYSTEM FOR TRACKING AND DOCUMENTING INCI-
 DENTS INVOLVING DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING INDIVIDUALS TO IDENTIFY TRENDS,
 CHALLENGES, AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT; AND
   (E)  ESTABLISH A PROTOCOL FOR DISPATCH CENTERS TO EFFICIENTLY IDENTIFY
 AND RELAY INFORMATION ABOUT A  DEAF  OR  HARD  OF  HEARING  INDIVIDUAL'S
 COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES TO RESPONDING FIRST RESPONDERS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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