Senator Samra G. Brouk (SD-55) joined fellow legislators, advocates, and community members during the Daniel’s Day celebration in Rochester to honor Daniel Prude and call for the passage of Daniel’s Law legislation (S3670/A4617). Celebrations for Daniel’s Day also took place in Brooklyn and Albany. Daniel’s Law centers a peer-led, non-police response to help individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. With lived experiences and cultural competency, peer-led teams can provide compassionate, lifesaving interventions and keep our communities safe.

Daniel Prude was a 44-year-old man who died at the hands of Rochester police during a mental health and substance use crisis in March 2020. The tragedy renewed calls for comprehensive reforms to New York’s mental health system and led Senator Brouk to introduce Daniel’s Law in January 2021. Daniel’s Law passed the New York State Mental Health Committee with bi-partisan support for the second consecutive year during the 2025 Legislative Session. Historic investments were also made in the state budget, including $2 million in funding for the creation of a Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center to help localities develop a community-based, peer-led, non-police response to mental health crises–a direct recommendation of the Daniel’s Law Task Force Report (2024). The FY’26 budget also allocated an additional $6 million in funding to establish and fund pilot programs across the state that use peer-led crisis response teams to support individuals during mental health and substance use crises. Ensuring that funding is sustained for Daniel’s Law in next year’s budget will help transform New York State's mental health crisis response system.

Senator Samra G. Brouk: “Daniel Prude would be alive today if his moment of crisis had been met with a compassionate response from a trained mental health professional or peer counselor. Daniel’s Law was one of the first pieces of legislation I introduced when I took office in 2021 and to this day I am continuing to fight with our advocates, impacted individuals, and my colleagues in the legislature for the full passage of this bill. We achieved significant goals this year with the completion of the Daniel’s Law Task Force Report and historic state budget investments in a Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center ($2m) and Daniel’s Law-aligned Pilot Program Funding ($6m). We will not stop until Daniel’s Law passes and every New Yorker in crisis has access to the compassionate care they deserve.”

Assemblymember Harry Bronson: “As we reflect upon the fifth anniversary of Daniel Prude’s death, we must continue to act to pass Daniel’s Law and bring justice to his name. With funding secured in this year’s State Budget for a Daniel’s Law Pilot Program, we are one step closer to this reality. The Daniel’s Law Pilot will implement the recommendations of the Daniel’s Law Task Force, providing a crisis response framework that is peer-led and person-centered, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and rooted in racial equity and compassionate care over force and control. We will not stop fighting to ensure that every New Yorker experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis receives the dignified care they deserve.” 

Senator Jeremy Cooney: “Daniel Prude’s tragic death sent shockwaves across our entire nation and exposed our shortcomings when it comes to providing adequate mental health supports. I’m proud to join Senator Brouk and our colleagues in calling for the passage of Daniel’s Law to ensure the safety of our community and bolster support services across New York.”

Assemblywoman Sarah Clark: “Daniel’s Law is truly about a more equitable justice system across our state.  By creating a peer-led, health-centered crisis response system, we are ensuring every New Yorker in crisis receives care, dignity, and safety, not punishment. I have supported Daniel’s Law from day one because it is the right solution to address our mental health crisis and will build stronger and safer communities for all.”

Assemblyman Demond Meeks: “Daniel’s Law is about putting compassion and care at the center of our system, ensuring that trained healthcare professionals and not law enforcement are the first responders in moments of crisis. What happened to Daniel Prude was a tragedy, and his death is a painful reminder of how urgently we must transform the way we respond to mental health and substance use crises. This legislation is a crucial step toward justice, accountability, and community safety. We cannot allow what happened to Daniel ever to happen again.”

Assemblymember Jen Lunsford: "This legislation is a fight for meaningful change in the way we police our streets, the way we handle mental health emergencies, the way we fund drug treatment and the way we treat our neighbors. Daniel's Law is a push for justice and dignity, and I'm proud to co-sponsor it."

Stanley Martin, At-Large Rochester City Council member on behalf of the Daniel’s Law Coalition: “On Daniel’s Day, we recommit ourselves to the passage of Daniel’s Law as a necessary step to ensure that our neighbors receive care in their most vulnerable moments. Daniel’s Law offers a clear and necessary shift: prioritizing public health, peer-led care, rooted in compassion, trauma-informed care, and real-world experience. By centering a public health approach and the voices of those with lived experience, we can build a system that heals and affirms life. On Daniel’s Day, we honor his life by fighting for transformation through the passage of Daniel’s Law.”

Glenn Liebman, CEO, MHANYS: “Over the past several years, throughout the country, it is a sad fact that many people with mental illness and substance use disorders have lost their lives in encounters with police, while experiencing emotional crises. Often law enforcement personnel are not specially trained or experienced to de-escalate, and effectively and safely manage such persons.  Even the presence of uniformed officers, at times, can be a trigger for individuals under emergency circumstances.  This bill would provide the appropriate structures for state and local planning, oversight and funding for the development of trained, community-based, crisis first responder teams for persons with mental illness and substance use disorders who are in crisis. We believe this alternative approach will save lives and promote recovery, while ensuring public safety.  We thank Senator Brouk for her leadership on this issue.”

Alliance for Rights and Recovery: “The Alliance for Rights and Recovery honors the life of Daniel Prude, whose tragic death reminds us of the urgent need for a health-first crisis response system in New York. Far too often, people in mental health or substance use crisis are met with handcuffs instead of compassion, and the results are devastating. Daniel’s Law (S3670) offers a transformative path forward by creating peer-led, non-police responses that prioritize dignity, safety, and recovery. We stand with Senator Brouk and our partners in calling for its passage so that no family has to suffer the pain that Daniel’s did, and every New Yorker can receive the crisis support they deserve in their moment of greatest need.”