A00109 Summary:
| BILL NO | A00109B |
| SAME AS | SAME AS S00320-B |
| SPONSOR | Rosenthal L |
| COSPNSR | Forrest, Seawright, Aubry, Bichotte Hermelyn, Clark, Carroll, Hevesi, Simon, Jackson, Mitaynes, Reyes, Gonzalez-Rojas, Cruz, Epstein, Otis, Gallagher, Cunningham, Solages, Raga, Shimsky, Levenberg, Burdick, Tapia, Dinowitz, Weprin, Davila |
| MLTSPNSR | |
| Add 2509-b, Pub Health L | |
| Prohibits drug, cannabis or alcohol testing and screening of pregnant or postpartum individuals and newborns unless the individual consents and it is within the scope of medical care, or the testing or screening is necessary for a medical emergency. | |
A00109 Actions:
| BILL NO | A00109B | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01/04/2023 | referred to health | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05/19/2023 | amend and recommit to health | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05/19/2023 | print number 109a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05/23/2023 | reported referred to codes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05/31/2023 | reported referred to rules | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06/07/2023 | amend (t) and recommit to rules | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06/07/2023 | print number 109b | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01/03/2024 | referred to codes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 03/19/2024 | reported | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 03/21/2024 | advanced to third reading cal.360 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A00109 Memo:
Go to topNEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting drug, cannabis or alcohol testing and screening of pregnant or postpartum individuals and newborns PURPOSE: This bill preserves the trust between a pregnant or perinatal person and their healthcare provider by requiring informed consent before conduct- ing a drug, cannabis or alcohol test or screen. SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section one amends the public health law by adding a new section 2509-b. Section two establishes the effective date JUSTIFICATION: When a pregnant person comes to a hospital seeking medical care, there is an expectation that they will receive only services to which they consent and seek. The involuntary drug testing of pregnant and perinatal persons not only runs counter to this, but it serves as a disincentive to the pursuit of medical support in childbirth. New York State current- ly ranks 30th among all states with a maternal mortality rate at 25 deaths per 100,000 live births. In cases where a doctor deems it necessary to perform an emergency test on an incapacitated patient, unable to consent to such testing, it is equally vital that the results of this testing be kept confidential and not used for any purpose outside of medical diagnoses and treatment. This legislation requires physicians and other medical professionals to seek informed consent before performing a drug, cannabis or alcohol test or screen on a pregnant person, a person up to one year postpartum or a newborn, unless such testing is necessary for emergency purposes. This legislation will help to preserve the necessary trust between a pregnant or perinatal person in need of medical support, and their provider, and will remove a potential disincentive to seeking care. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2021-22: A.4285-A - Ordered to Third Reading Rules; S.4821-A - Referred to Women's Issues 2019-20: A.5478-A - Referred to Governmental Operations; S.7955 - Referred to Women's Issues FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Undetermined. EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
A00109 Text:
Go to topSTATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 109--B 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 4, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, FORREST, SEAWRIGHT, AUBRY, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, CLARK, ZINERMAN, CARROLL, HEVESI, SIMON, JACKSON, MITAYNES, REYES, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, JEAN-PIERRE, BURGOS, CRUZ, EPSTEIN, OTIS, GALLAGHER, CUNNINGHAM, SOLAGES, RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- reported and referred to the Committee on Codes -- reported and referred to the Committee on Rules -- Rules Committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting drug, cannabis or alcohol testing and screening of pregnant or postpartum individuals and newborns 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 section 2 2509-b to read as follows: 3 § 2509-b. Drug, cannabis or alcohol testing and screening for pregnant 4 or postpartum individuals; prohibited. 1. For purposes of this section: 5 (a) "drug" shall mean a controlled substance as that term is defined 6 in section thirty-three hundred six of this chapter. 7 (b) "cannabis" shall mean cannabis or concentrated cannabis as those 8 terms are defined in section 222.00 of the penal law. 9 (c) "drug, cannabis or alcohol test" shall mean a test using a biolog- 10 ical sample, including, but not limited to, urine or hair, for the pres- 11 ence of drugs, cannabis or alcohol. 12 (d) "drug, cannabis or alcohol screen" shall mean the use of a vali- 13 dated verbal or written tool or questionnaire by a health care profes- 14 sional licensed, certified, or authorized under title eight of the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00489-04-3A. 109--B 2 1 education law to determine use of drugs, cannabis or alcohol by a preg- 2 nant or postpartum person. 3 2. No health care professional licensed, certified, or authorized 4 under title eight of the education law shall: 5 (a) perform a drug, cannabis or alcohol test on a person who is preg- 6 nant or up to one year postpartum unless: 7 (i) the pregnant or postpartum individual gives prior written and oral 8 informed consent specific to the drug, cannabis or alcohol test; and 9 (ii) the performance of the drug, cannabis or alcohol test is within 10 the scope of medical care being provided to the individual, cannabis. 11 (b) perform a drug, cannabis or alcohol screen in a hospital on a 12 person who is pregnant or up to one year postpartum unless: 13 (i) the pregnant or postpartum individual gives prior written and 14 oral informed consent specific to the drug, cannabis or alcohol screen; 15 and 16 (ii) the performance of the drug, cannabis or alcohol screen is 17 within the scope of medical care being provided to the individual. 18 (c) perform a drug, cannabis or alcohol screen outside a hospital on a 19 person who is pregnant or up to one year postpartum unless: 20 (i) the pregnant or postpartum individual gives prior oral informed 21 consent specific to the drug, cannabis or alcohol screen; and 22 (ii) the performance of the drug, cannabis or alcohol screen is 23 within the scope of medical care being provided to the individual. 24 3. No health care professional licensed, certified or authorized under 25 title eight of the education law shall: 26 (a) perform a drug, cannabis or alcohol test on a newborn unless: 27 (i) the individual authorized to consent for the newborn, as defined 28 by subdivision two of section twenty-five hundred four of this title, 29 gives prior written and oral informed consent specific to the drug, 30 cannabis or alcohol test; and 31 (ii) the performance of the drug, cannabis or alcohol test is within 32 the scope of medical care being provided to the newborn; 33 (b) perform a drug, cannabis or alcohol screen in a hospital on a 34 newborn unless: 35 (i) the individual authorized to consent for the newborn, as 36 defined by subdivision two of section twenty-five hundred four of this 37 title, gives prior written and oral informed consent specific to the 38 drug, cannabis or alcohol screen; and 39 (ii) the performance of the drug, cannabis or alcohol screen is 40 within the scope of medical care being provided to the newborn; 41 (c) perform a drug, cannabis or alcohol screen outside a hospital on a 42 newborn unless: 43 (i) the individual authorized to consent for the newborn, as 44 defined by subdivision two of section twenty-five hundred four of this 45 title, gives prior oral informed consent specific to the drug, cannabis 46 or alcohol screen; and 47 (ii) the performance of the drug, cannabis or alcohol screen is 48 within the scope of medical care being provided to the newborn. 49 4. Written and oral informed consent to a drug, cannabis or alcohol 50 test or drug or alcohol screen shall occur at the time of testing, in 51 language understandable to the pregnant or postpartum individual, or the 52 individual authorized to consent for the newborn, under circumstances 53 that provide such individual sufficient opportunity to consider whether 54 or not to authorize the drug, cannabis or alcohol test or drug, cannabis 55 or alcohol screen and minimize the possibility of coercion or undueA. 109--B 3 1 influence, and shall consist of oral authorization and written authori- 2 zation that is dated, signed and includes the following: 3 (a) a statement explaining that consenting to a drug, cannabis or 4 alcohol test or drug, cannabis or alcohol screen is voluntary and 5 requires written and oral informed consent, except when conditions under 6 subdivision five of this section are met; 7 (b) a statement that testing or screening positive for drugs, cannabis 8 or alcohol could have legal consequences, including, but not limited to, 9 a report to a local child protective services agency, and that the indi- 10 vidual may want to consult with legal counsel prior to or after consent- 11 ing to a drug, cannabis or alcohol test or drug, cannabis or alcohol 12 screen; 13 (c) a statement explaining the extent of confidentiality of the test 14 or screen results; 15 (d) a statement of the medical purpose of the test or screen; and 16 (e) a general description of the test or screen. 17 5. Drug, cannabis or alcohol testing or drug, cannabis or alcohol 18 screening may be performed without consent of the patient or the indi- 19 vidual authorized to consent for a newborn when, in the health care 20 professional's judgment, an emergency exists and the patient or newborn 21 is in immediate need of medical attention, and an attempt to secure 22 consent would result in delay of treatment that could increase the risk 23 to the patient's or newborn's life or health. In the case that drug, 24 cannabis or alcohol testing or drug or alcohol screening is performed 25 under these circumstances, the test or screen results shall be discussed 26 with the patient or the individual authorized to consent for the 27 newborn, in language understandable to the patient or individuals 28 authorized to consent for the newborn and shall consist of oral notifi- 29 cation and written notification that is dated, signed and includes the 30 following: 31 (a) a statement that testing or screening positive for drugs, cannabis 32 or alcohol could have legal consequences, including but not limited to a 33 potential report to a local child protective services agency, and that 34 the patient or individual authorized to consent for the newborn may want 35 to consult with legal counsel; 36 (b) a statement in the medical record with a description of the emer- 37 gency that necessitated unconsented drug, cannabis or alcohol testing or 38 drug, cannabis or alcohol screening; and 39 (c) a statement explaining the extent of confidentiality of the test 40 or screen results. 41 6. No health care professional licensed, certified, or authorized 42 under title eight of the education law shall refuse to treat an individ- 43 ual who is pregnant or up to one year postpartum or a newborn because of 44 the patient or individuals authorized to consent for the newborn's 45 refusal to submit to a drug, cannabis or alcohol test or drug, cannabis 46 or alcohol screen. 47 7. Nothing in this section shall diminish any other requirement to 48 obtain informed consent for a drug, cannabis or alcohol test or drug, 49 cannabis or alcohol screen or any other procedure. 50 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.