Bill Text: NY A01245 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Provides that before a person may receive public assistance benefits, he or she must submit to and pass a drug test; requires health care professionals, law enforcement agencies, and courts report certain instances of substance abuse to the commissioner of social services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 10-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to social services [A01245 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01245-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1245--A
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 14, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. CROUCH, BARCLAY, BLANKENBUSH, GIGLIO, HAWLEY,
          JOHNS, NORRIS, PALMESANO -- Multi-Sponsored by --  M.  of  A.  BYRNES,
          GOODELL  -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services
          -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted  as  amended
          and recommitted to said committee
        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to people receiving
          public assistance
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 131 of the social services law is amended by adding
     2  a new subdivision 9-a to read as follows:
     3    9-a. a. Upon determining that a person is eligible  for  any  form  or
     4  category  of  public  assistance and prior to making any distribution to
     5  such person, the social services official shall require the person seek-
     6  ing assistance to submit to a drug  test.  The  commissioner  of  health
     7  shall  establish  rules and regulations regarding the method of testing,
     8  the frequency of testing, the substances for which  to  be  tested,  and
     9  what  constitutes  failing  such  drug  test. If a person fails the drug
    10  test, he or she shall enroll in a drug rehabilitation program  certified
    11  by  the  commissioner  of  health.  Such person shall not be eligible to
    12  receive any assistance under this chapter if he or she fails  to  enroll
    13  and actively participate in the rehabilitation program.
    14    b. Any health care professional, law enforcement agency or court shall
    15  report  substance  abuse information of persons eligible for any form or
    16  category of public assistance  to  the  commissioner.  The  commissioner
    17  shall  launch  an investigation into and withhold public assistance from
    18  any person reported under this paragraph and  have  such  person  placed
    19  into a substance abuse rehabilitation facility or another program to end
    20  the drug abuse.
    21    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    22  it shall have become a law.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03026-02-9