Senate Bill S9240

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9240
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 18, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to establish a  pilot  program  for  schools  with  active  aging
   programs  or specializations in place; and providing for the repeal of
   such provisions on expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. 1. There is hereby established a pilot program and curric-
 ulum for schools with active aging programs or specializations in place.
 The director of the office  for  the  aging,  in  conjunction  with  the
 commissioner of education and the commissioner of health, shall identify
 faculty  and  project  directors who shall serve as the curriculum team,
 using their expertise in identified specialty topics, including but  not
 limited  to, primary care, specialty medicine (i.e., infectious disease,
 nephrology, etc.),  trauma-informed  practice,  sexual  health,  healthy
 aging,  aging in place, end-of-life and palliative care, serving diverse
 populations, etc. Such curriculum team shall  identify  areas  that  are
 most  relevant  to  persons  working with older adults currently, and/or
 represent emerging and evidenced-based practices and create a  suggested
 syllabus  template  for  an advanced-year practice class in the field of
 aging.
   2. During the first 2 years, the pilot program shall track and  bench-
 mark  learning  opportunities  for  continued  expansion while exploring
 other schools' interests in participation. In the third year, such pilot
 program shall identify additional schools able to participate.
   3. A workforce development  center  for  professional  development  in
 gerontological/geriatric  education  funded  by multiple state agencies,
 including, but not limited to, the office for the aging, the  department
 of  health  and the department of education, is established. The curric-
 ulum team shall further identify support  from  public/private  partner-
 ships to engage emerging professionals. The workforce development center
 shall  provide  a base to recruit and coordinate schools, provide incen-
 tive awards for students, provide faculty honoraria to teach courses and
 hold seminars, collect performance  data  regarding  implementation  and
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14530-01-6
 S. 9240                             2
 
 outcomes, hold schools accountable, utilize opportunities offered by the
 1115  Medicaid  workforce  initiatives,  and  collaborate with Workforce
 Investment Organizations, and identify  and  develop  additional  educa-
 tional  and  training  resources.  Set  forth  in the agreement with the
 schools for the identification of a faculty project director to  partic-
 ipate  in  the  development,  implementation,  and  coordination  of the
 project, offer an aging-focused course at least once per year  based  on
 the  project  syllabus  template, recruit students to participate in the
 project, and identify and develop possible internships for  students  to
 reflect innovative approaches and a breadth of aging services and learn-
 ing opportunities which may lead to employment opportunities.
   §  2.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law and shall expire and be deemed  repealed  three  years
 after such effective date.