S04454 Summary:

BILL NOS04454B
 
SAME ASSAME AS A02063-C
 
SPONSORDEFRANCISCO
 
COSPNSRADAMS, BONACIC, GOLDEN, HANNON, KLEIN, KRUEGER, LANZA, LARKIN, LAVALLE, MARTINS, MONTGOMERY, RANZENHOFER, ZELDIN
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add S220.78, amd S220.03, Pen L; amd S390.40, CP L
 
Provides limitations on use of evidence obtained in connection with a person seeking or receiving health care for a drug overdose.
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S04454 Actions:

BILL NOS04454B
 
04/06/2011REFERRED TO CODES
05/13/2011AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO CODES
05/13/2011PRINT NUMBER 4454A
06/15/2011AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO CODES
06/15/2011PRINT NUMBER 4454B
06/20/2011COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
06/20/2011ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1386
06/20/2011SUBSTITUTED BY A2063C
 A02063 AMEND=C Gottfried (MS)
 01/13/2011referred to codes
 05/03/2011amend and recommit to codes
 05/03/2011print number 2063a
 05/12/2011amend and recommit to codes
 05/12/2011print number 2063b
 05/24/2011reported
 05/26/2011advanced to third reading cal.444
 06/02/2011passed assembly
 06/02/2011delivered to senate
 06/02/2011REFERRED TO CODES
 06/16/2011recalled from senate
 06/16/2011RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
 06/16/2011vote reconsidered - restored to third reading
 06/16/2011amended on third reading (t) 2063c
 06/20/2011repassed assembly
 06/20/2011returned to senate
 06/20/2011REFERRED TO RULES
 06/20/2011SUBSTITUTED FOR S4454B
 06/20/20113RD READING CAL.1386
 06/20/2011PASSED SENATE
 06/20/2011RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
 07/08/2011delivered to governor
 07/20/2011signed chap.154
 07/20/2011approval memo.4
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S04454 Memo:

Memo not available
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S04454 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         4454--B
 
                               2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                      April 6, 2011
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by Sens. DeFRANCISCO, ADAMS, BONACIC, GOLDEN, HANNON, KLEIN,
          KRUEGER, LARKIN, MONTGOMERY, RANZENHOFER --  read  twice  and  ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged,  bill  amended,

          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  penal  law  and  the criminal procedure law, in
          relation to prosecution of a person who, in good faith,  seeks  health
          care  for  someone  who  is experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose or
          other life threatening medical emergency
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1. Legislative intent. It is the intent of the legislature to
     2  encourage a witness or victim of a drug or alcohol related  overdose  to
     3  call 911 or seek other emergency assistance in order to save the life of
     4  an  overdose  victim  by  establishing  a state policy of protecting the
     5  witnesses or victim from arrest, charge, prosecution, and conviction for

     6  drug possession, drug  paraphernalia  possession,  and  certain  alcohol
     7  related  offenses.  It  is  not the intent of the legislature to protect
     8  individuals from arrest, charge,  or  prosecution  for  other  offenses,
     9  including  drug trafficking, or to interfere with law enforcement proto-
    10  cols to secure the scene of an overdose.
    11    § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 220.78  to  read
    12  as follows:
    13  § 220.78 Witness or victim of drug or alcohol overdose.
    14    1.  A  person who, in good faith, seeks health care for someone who is
    15  experiencing a drug  or  alcohol  overdose  or  other  life  threatening
    16  medical  emergency  shall  not be charged or prosecuted for a controlled
    17  substance offense under  article  two  hundred  twenty  or  a  marihuana

    18  offense  under  article two hundred twenty-one of this title, other than
    19  an offense involving sale for consideration or other benefit or gain, or
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10559-05-1

        S. 4454--B                          2
 
     1  charged or prosecuted for possession of alcohol by a  person  under  age
     2  twenty-one  years  under  section sixty-five-c of the alcoholic beverage
     3  control law, or for possession of drug paraphernalia under article thir-
     4  ty-nine  of  the  general  business  law, with respect to any controlled

     5  substance, marihuana, alcohol or paraphernalia that was  obtained  as  a
     6  result of such seeking or receiving of health care.
     7    2.  A  person  who is experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose or other
     8  life threatening medical emergency and, in good faith, seeks health care
     9  for himself or herself or is the subject of such a  good  faith  request
    10  for  health  care,  shall  not be charged or prosecuted for a controlled
    11  substance offense under this article or a marihuana offense under  arti-
    12  cle  two hundred twenty-one of this title, other than an offense involv-
    13  ing sale for consideration or other benefit or gain, or charged or pros-
    14  ecuted for possession of alcohol by a person under age twenty-one  years

    15  under section sixty-five-c of the alcoholic beverage control law, or for
    16  possession of drug paraphernalia under article thirty-nine of the gener-
    17  al  business  law,  with respect to any substance, marihuana, alcohol or
    18  paraphernalia that was obtained as a result of such seeking or receiving
    19  of health care.
    20    3. Definitions. As used in this section the following terms shall have
    21  the following meanings:
    22    (a) "Drug or alcohol overdose" or "overdose" means an acute  condition
    23  including,  but  not limited to, physical illness, coma, mania, hysteria
    24  or death, which is the result of consumption  or  use  of  a  controlled
    25  substance  or alcohol and relates to an adverse reaction to or the quan-

    26  tity of the controlled substance or alcohol or a  substance  with  which
    27  the  controlled  substance  or  alcohol  was  combined;  provided that a
    28  patient's condition shall be deemed to be a drug or alcohol overdose  if
    29  a  prudent  layperson,  possessing  an average knowledge of medicine and
    30  health, could reasonably believe that the condition is in fact a drug or
    31  alcohol overdose and (except as to death) requires health care.
    32    (b) "Health care" means the professional services provided to a person
    33  experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose by a  health  care  professional
    34  licensed, registered or certified under title eight of the education law
    35  or article thirty of the public health law who, acting within his or her

    36  lawful  scope of practice, may provide diagnosis, treatment or emergency
    37  services for a person experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose.
    38    4. It shall be an affirmative defense to a  criminal  sale  controlled
    39  substance  offense  under  this  article or a criminal sale of marihuana
    40  offense under article two hundred twenty-one of this title, not  covered
    41  by  subdivision  one  or  two  of  this  section,  with  respect  to any
    42  controlled substance or marihuana which was obtained as a result of such
    43  seeking or receiving of health care, that:
    44    (a) the defendant, in good faith, seeks health care for someone or for
    45  him or herself who is experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose  or  other
    46  life threatening medical emergency; and

    47    (b)  the  defendant  has  no  prior  conviction  for the commission or
    48  attempted commission of a class A-I, A-II or B felony under  this  arti-
    49  cle.
    50    5. Nothing in this section shall be construed to bar the admissibility
    51  of  any evidence in connection with the investigation and prosecution of
    52  a crime with regard to another  defendant  who  does  not  independently
    53  qualify  for  the bar to prosecution or for the affirmative defense; nor
    54  with regard to other crimes committed by a person who  otherwise  quali-
    55  fies under this section; nor shall anything in this section be construed
    56  to  bar any seizure pursuant to law, including but not limited to pursu-

        S. 4454--B                          3
 

     1  ant to section thirty-three hundred eighty-seven of  the  public  health
     2  law.
     3    6.  The  bar  to  prosecution described in subdivisions one and two of
     4  this section shall not apply to the prosecution of a  class  A-I  felony
     5  under this article, and the affirmative defense described in subdivision
     6  four  of  this section shall not apply to the prosecution of a class A-I
     7  or A-II felony under this article.
     8    § 3. Section 390.40 of the criminal procedure law is amended by adding
     9  a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
    10    3. The act of seeking health care for someone who  is  experiencing  a
    11  drug  or  alcohol  overdose  or other life threatening medical emergency
    12  shall be considered by the court when presented as a  mitigating  factor

    13  in  any criminal prosecution for a controlled substance, marihuana, drug
    14  paraphernalia, or alcohol related offense.
    15    § 4. The opening paragraph of section 220.03  of  the  penal  law,  as
    16  amended  by  chapter  284  of  the  laws  of 2010, is amended to read as
    17  follows:
    18    A person is guilty of criminal possession of a controlled substance in
    19  the seventh degree when he or she knowingly and unlawfully  possesses  a
    20  controlled  substance;  provided,  however,  that  it  shall  not  be  a
    21  violation of this section when a person possesses a residual amount of a
    22  controlled substance and that residual amount is in or on  a  hypodermic
    23  syringe  or hypodermic needle obtained and possessed pursuant to section
    24  thirty-three hundred eighty-one of the public health law; nor  shall  it

    25  be  a violation of this section when a person's unlawful possession of a
    26  controlled substance is discovered as  a  result  of  seeking  immediate
    27  health  care as defined in paragraph (b) of subdivision three of section
    28  220.78 of the penal law, for either another person  or  him  or  herself
    29  because  such person is experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose or other
    30  life threatening medical emergency as defined in paragraph (a) of subdi-
    31  vision three of section 220.78 of the penal law.
    32    § 5. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
    33  have become a law.
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