STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7985
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. GONZALEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing for
continuity of gender affirming care
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article
2 27-FF to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 27-FF
4 CONTINUITY OF GENDER AFFIRMING CARE
5 Section 2790. Continuity of gender affirming care.
6 § 2790. Continuity of gender affirming care. 1. As used in this
7 section, "gender affirming care" means care and services encompassing
8 the range of social, psychological, behavioral, medical, and surgical
9 interventions, including hormonal treatments and prescription drugs,
10 designed to support and affirm an individual's gender identity when it
11 is incongruent with the individual's sex assigned at birth, provided
12 that surgical interventions on minors with variations in their sex char-
13 acteristics that are not sought and initiated by the individual patient
14 are not gender affirming care.
15 2. There is hereby established in the department a gender affirming
16 care program to ensure the continuity of gender affirming care services
17 in the state. Such program shall identify and/or provide funding and
18 other resources to providers that meet program requirements to facili-
19 tate access to gender affirming care services for individuals who are
20 eligible for gender affirming care services.
21 3. The department shall promulgate all necessary rules and regulations
22 to implement the provisions of this section, including regulations
23 establishing requirements for the program. The department shall consult
24 with experts in the field of providing gender affirming care to ensure
25 that the program and expenditures to providers are reflective of the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11894-01-5
S. 7985 2
1 needs of providers and patients receiving and seeking gender affirming
2 care.
3 4. Funding used to support gender affirming care services under the
4 program shall be pursuant to funds appropriated by the legislature for
5 such purposes and shall be, at a minimum, equal to the amount appropri-
6 ated for such funds appropriated before April first, two thousand twen-
7 ty-five for similar gender-affirming care services. Such funds shall
8 increase each year by the same rate as the consumer price index. The
9 department may use a portion of such funding for administering the
10 program.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
