STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8254
IN SENATE
April 27, 2020
___________
Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to the negative
effect of COVID-19 related budget cuts on certain populations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Do No Harm
2 Act".
3 § 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 7 of section 23 of the state finance
4 law, as added by section 24 of part JJ of chapter 56 of the laws of
5 2020, is amended to read as follows:
6 (d) The following types of appropriations shall be exempt from such
7 reduction pursuant to this subdivision: (i) public assistance payments
8 for families and individuals and payments for eligible aged, blind and
9 disabled persons related to supplemental social security; (ii) any
10 reductions that would violate federal law; (iii) payments of debt
11 service and related expenses for which the state is constitutionally
12 obligated to pay debt service or is contractually obligated to pay debt
13 service, subject to an appropriation, including where the state has a
14 contingent contractual obligation; [and] (iv) payments the state is
15 obligated to make pursuant to court orders or judgments; and (v) any
16 reductions in funding that would compound the disproportionate impact of
17 COVID-19 on certain disproportionately impacted populations. Any
18 proposed reduction in funding that would compound the disproportionate
19 impact of COVID-19 on certain disproportionately impacted populations
20 shall be accompanied by a remediation plan to offset the dispropor-
21 tionate impact. For the purposes of this paragraph, "disproportionate
22 impact" shall mean disparities in rates of infection and death by race,
23 age, and zip code based on demographic data provided by state and local
24 departments of health.
25 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, the
26 amendments to subdivision 7 of section 23 of the state finance law made
27 by section two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such subdivi-
28 sion and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16243-01-0
