Bill Text: NY A02367 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes gifts, on personal income tax returns, for public hospitals; establishes the public hospitals fund for the receipt and expenditure of monies from such gifts; directs the department of health to provide grants to public hospitals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to ways and means [A02367 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A02367-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2367 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 22, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BARNWELL -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Ways and Means AN ACT to amend the tax law, in relation to authorizing a gift for public hospitals on personal income tax returns; to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the public hospitals fund; and to amend the public health law, in relation to providing grants for public hospitals The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The tax law is amended by adding a new section 629-b to 2 read as follows: 3 § 629-b. Gift for public hospitals. Effective for any tax year 4 commencing on or after January first, two thousand nineteen, an individ- 5 ual in any taxable year may elect to contribute to the public hospitals 6 fund. Such contribution shall be in any whole dollar amount and shall 7 not reduce the amount of state tax owed by such individual. The commis- 8 sioner shall include space on the personal income tax return to enable a 9 taxpayer to make such contribution. Notwithstanding any other provision 10 of law all revenues collected pursuant to this section shall be credited 11 to the public hospitals fund and used only for those purposes enumerated 12 in section eighty-nine-i of the state finance law. 13 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 89-j to 14 read as follows: 15 § 89-j. Public hospitals fund. 1. There is hereby established in the 16 joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance and the state 17 comptroller, a special fund to be known as the "public hospitals fund". 18 2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received pursuant to the 19 provisions of section six hundred twenty-nine-b of the tax law, all 20 revenues received pursuant to appropriations by the legislature, and all 21 moneys appropriated, credited or transferred thereto from any other fund 22 or source pursuant to law. No moneys credited to such fund pursuant to EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02236-02-9A. 2367 2 1 section six hundred twenty-nine-b of the tax law shall be deemed to 2 authorize the reduction of the amount of monies otherwise appropriated 3 by the state for the purpose of the funding of and preventing the 4 closure of public hospitals. 5 3. The monies of the fund shall be made available to the department of 6 health for the purpose of providing grants to public hospitals. 7 4. The monies of the fund shall be paid out on the audit and warrant 8 of the state comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by the 9 commissioner of health, or by an officer or employee of the department 10 of health designated by such commissioner. 11 5. On or before the first day of February each year, the state comp- 12 troller shall certify to the governor, temporary president of the 13 senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee 14 and chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of money 15 deposited in this fund during the preceding calendar year as the result 16 of revenue derived pursuant to section six hundred twenty-nine-b of the 17 tax law. 18 § 3. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2827 to 19 read as follows: 20 § 2827. Grants for public hospitals. 1. The commissioner shall estab- 21 lish a grant program for the funding of and preventing the closure of 22 public hospitals throughout the state. 23 2. The following factors shall be considered in approving each grant: 24 (a) the impact of the closure of the public hospital on the surround- 25 ing communities; 26 (b) the extent to which there is a need for a grant to prevent the 27 closure of the public hospital; 28 (c) the quality of the public hospital; 29 (d) the specialties of the public hospital; 30 (e) the size of the public hospital; and 31 (f) any other factor the commissioner deems appropriate. 32 3. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner 33 shall provide a written report to the temporary president of the senate, 34 speaker of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee, and the 35 chair of the assembly ways and means committee. Such report shall 36 include how the monies of the public hospitals fund were utilized during 37 the preceding calendar year and shall include: 38 (a) the amount of money dispersed from the fund; 39 (b) recipients of awards from the fund; 40 (c) the amount awarded to each recipient; and 41 (d) the purposes for which such awards were granted. 42 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.