NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7916A
SPONSOR: Peoples-Stokes TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring written
in-person or electronic notifications to be utilized for registration in
the donate life registry
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill provides a prioritization of written notice methods for New
Yorkers registering in the New York State Donate Life Registry to
require, where possible, in-person or electronic notice to those
persons.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends paragraphic of subdivision 3 of section 4310 of the
public health law, which outlines the requirement of written notifica-
tion to registrants in the state's donate life registry, to add
provisions requiring the use of either in-person or electronic means of
notification wherever possible in the fulfillment of this requirement.
Section 2 amends paragraph c of subdivision 5 of section 4310 of the
public health law, to add provisions clarifying the time of activation
of an enrollee's registration and requiring the use of either in-person
or electronic means of notification wherever possible in the fulfillment
of this requirement.
Section 3 sets the effective date of this act.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION:
The amended version provides a technical clarification.
JUSTIFICATION:
While important recent improvements have been made, New York unfortu-
nately continues to struggle with regard to the percentage of residents
that are registered as organ and tissue donors. Nearly 9,000 individuals
are in need of a life-saving organ transplant at any given time, which
represents one of the highest need for donors in the United States. Over
1,500 people in New York State have been on the national transplant
waiting list for more than five years. Sadly, in 2020'alone, nearly 600
New Yorkers died in part due to a pronounced shortage of donors.
This legislation takes a common sense approach to modernizing communi-
cations or New Yorkers enrolling as organ and tissue donors through the
donate life registry. While communications with registrants are impor-
tant, modern improvements can and should be made to make communications
more equitable, convenient, effective, and transparent to enrollees in
the registry.
This bill mandates that, where possible, notice of registration be
provided to new enrollees either in-person at the time of enrollment, or
by approved electronic communication methods. Providing convenient,
immediate notice to registrants through methods they have embraced in so
many important areas of their everyday lives will provide the same
information registrants receive now in a much more timely and accessible
manner for New Yorkers irrespective of housing security, frequency of
relocation, or access to postal services. The legislation will provide
millions of New Yorkers statewide with improved and convenient access to
their registration notices through familiar and contemporary methods of
communication. The legislation contemplates no changes to the contents
of current communications and maintains a current methods of notice as
options for registrants, as well.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Minimal.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7916--A
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 28, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PEOPLES-STOKES, GOTTFRIED -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Health -- recommitted to the Committee on
Health in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring written
in-person or electronic notifications to be utilized for registration
in the donate life registry
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 3 of section 4310 of the
2 public health law, as added by section 27 of part A of chapter 60 of the
3 laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
4 (c) provision of written or electronic notification of registration in
5 the donate life registry to an individual enrolling in the donate life
6 registry; provided, however, that written in-person or electronic
7 notifications shall be utilized wherever possible as methods for
8 fulfillment of the purposes of this paragraph; and
9 § 2. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 5 of section 4310 of the public
10 health law, as amended by section 27 of part A of chapter 60 of the laws
11 of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
12 (c) Enrollment or amendment or revocation through the donate life
13 registry website through any of the means listed in this subdivision may
14 be signed by electronic signature, in accordance with the provisions of
15 article three of the state technology law, supported by the use of suit-
16 able mechanisms including unique identifiers to provide confidence in
17 the identity of the person providing the electronic signature. The
18 registration shall take effect upon the provision of written or elec-
19 tronic notice of the registration to the individual enrolling in the
20 donate life registry and the registry's receipt of the individual's
21 enrollment data; provided, however, that written in-person or electronic
22 notifications shall be utilized wherever possible as methods for
23 fulfillment of the purposes of this paragraph.
24 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11627-02-2
