Protecting Patients and Strengthening Standards: Assembly Health Committee Passes 9 Bills

The Assembly Committee on Health favorably reported 9 bills on Wednesday, January 19. For more information on a particular bill, please contact the sponsor listed after the description. For the text of a bill, its supporting memorandum, and information on its status, go to: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menuf.cgi.

Reporting Chemicals in Cigarettes – Requires tobacco product manufacturers to disclose additives and product design characteristics and to identify those that have been determined to be toxic. (A.82, Paulin)

Expanding Access to Emergency Contraception – Allows dispensing of FDA-approved over-the-counter emergency contraception through a non-patient-specific prescription. (A.85, Paulin)

Creating Autism Assessment Centers – Authorizes Comprehensive Autism Assessment Centers that are designed to ensure that children with autism spectrum disorders will receive a comprehensive assessment, allowing for more direct and effective treatment in children. (A.413, Gunther)

Nursing Home Care Standards – Establishes a "patient diversion" system for nursing homes that are unable to provide a minimum standard of care or services. New patients would not be admitted until the nursing home met care standards. (A.551, Gottfried)

Disposition of Human Remains – Simplifies the process for a person to designate the person who will have responsibility for disposing of his or her human remains. (A.591, Gottfried)

Adult Home Resident Abuse Reporting - Requires health care and other professionals to report cases of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect of residents in adult homes and assisted living residences. (A.600, Magnarelli)

Nurse Practitioners Certifying Vaccination Exemptions - Allows licensed nurse practitioners to certify that a required vaccination would be detrimental to a child’s health, as physicians currently can do. (A.654, Gottfried)

Limiting Cancer Risks – Prevents a tanning salon operator from allowing the use of a tanning bed by anyone under the age of 18. Recently, the World Health Organization raised the use of a tanning bed to its highest cancer risk category. (A.1074, Weisenberg)

The Safe Patient Handling Act – One of the greatest risks patients and staff face in a hospital is injury caused during patient transport within the facility. This bill will establish a statewide safe patient handling policy to prevent such injuries. (A.1370, Lancman)