Add Art 25 Title 3-A §§2560 - 2563, Pub Health L; add §99-rr, St Fin L
Creates a community doula expansion grant program to support community-based doulas and community-based doula organizations; provides funding for recruitment, training, certification, supporting, and/or mentoring of community-based doulas.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7779--B
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
December 1, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sens. BROUK, FERNANDEZ, JACKSON, WEBB -- read twice and
ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Rules -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee -- recommitted to the
Committee on Women's Issues in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
-- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Commit-
tee on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the creation of a
community doula expansion grant program; and to amend the state
finance law, in relation to the community doula expansion grant
program fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby declares that
2 poor maternal and infant health outcomes, especially when it comes to
3 racial disparities, are a public health crisis that pose a threat to the
4 health, welfare, and quality of life of child bearing people, infants
5 and their families. The legislature hereby acknowledges that community-
6 based doula care is one solution in addressing this public health
7 crisis. The legislature also acknowledges imbalances in how doula care
8 is accessed in different communities. The legislature also acknowledges
9 how doulas in the BIPOC community are integrated, or lack integration
10 into the maternal health continuum. The legislature acknowledges that
11 those seeking to become community-based doulas face a multitude of
12 barriers, including institutional barriers, within the healthcare
13 continuum. The legislature hereby finds the importance in establishing a
14 dedicated fund to support community-based doulas and community-based
15 doula organizations. This fund would be assisting those trying to navi-
16 gate the Federal and State Medicaid frameworks for doula care to become
17 community-based doulas. Which would be one step in solving the existing
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13594-03-4
S. 7779--B 2
1 barriers to those seeking equitable prenatal, intranatal, and postpartum
2 care services.
3 § 2. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
4 title 3-A to read as follows:
5 TITLE III-A
6 COMMUNITY DOULA EXPANSION PROGRAM
7 Section 2560. Community doula expansion grant program.
8 2561. Definitions.
9 2562. Rules and regulations.
10 2563. Report.
11 § 2560. Community doula expansion grant program. The community doula
12 expansion grant program is established within the department.
13 § 2561. Definitions. As used in this title:
14 1. "Eligible providers" shall mean community-based organizations
15 providing for the recruitment, training, certification, supporting,
16 and/or mentoring of community-based doulas.
17 2. "Community-based doula" shall mean a certified doula that provides
18 culturally sensitive pregnancy and childbirth education, early linkage
19 to health care, and aids birthing persons in navigating other services
20 and supports that they may need to be healthy.
21 § 2562. Rules and regulations. 1. The commissioner shall establish a
22 community doula expansion grant program for eligible providers to
23 receive funding in the performance of recruitment, training, certif-
24 ication, supporting, and/or mentoring of community-based doulas. Such
25 eligible providers shall meet professionally recognized training stand-
26 ards, comply with applicable state law and regulations, and shall be
27 capable of providing culturally congruent care.
28 2. The commissioner is authorized, within amounts appropriated for
29 such purpose, to make grants in accordance with this subdivision. Such
30 grants may be used for but not limited to the administration, faculty
31 recruitment and development, start-up costs and other costs incurred for
32 providing recruitment, training, certification, supporting, and/or
33 mentoring of community-based doulas.
34 3. There shall be an emphasis of appropriating grants to eligible
35 providers that specifically train, recruit, and employ doulas from
36 historically vulnerable communities, BIPOC doulas, and bilingual doulas.
37 This can include grants for doula apprentice programs.
38 4. The commissioner shall create and maintain an awareness and
39 outreach program. The awareness and outreach program shall be estab-
40 lished for the purpose of providing education and awareness of the
41 available grants and funds to eligible providers in the state.
42 § 2563. Report. The commissioner shall establish a comprehensive list
43 of reporting metrics to be included in a report due on December thirty-
44 first, two thousand twenty-six and annually thereafter, to the governor,
45 to the temporary president of the senate, and to the speaker of the
46 assembly. The report shall include the comprehensive list of reporting
47 metrics and shall include, but not be limited to, the total amount of
48 grants issued, the number of eligible providers, and the region of the
49 state where the eligible provider is located.
50 § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-rr to
51 read as follows:
52 § 99-rr. Community doula expansion grant program fund. 1. There is
53 hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and
54 commissioner of taxation and finance a special fund to be known as the
55 "Community doula expansion grant program fund".
S. 7779--B 3
1 2. Such fund shall consist of all monies appropriated thereto from any
2 other fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing contained in this section
3 shall prevent the state from receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the
4 purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into
5 the fund according to law.
6 3. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of
7 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner
8 of health.
9 4. The monies in such fund shall be expended for the community doula
10 expansion grant program in accordance with the provisions of section
11 twenty-five hundred sixty-two of the public health law.
12 § 4. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
13 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
14 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
15 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
16 on or before such effective date.
