Bill Text: NY A03521 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to establishing state disaster emergency requirements for homeless shelters including placement of individuals and families in shelters and reporting of infections related to the emergency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-11-18 - enacting clause stricken [A03521 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A03521-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3521 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 27, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI, SEAWRIGHT, L. ROSENTHAL, OTIS, ABINANTI, HUNTER, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing state disaster emergency requirements for homeless shelters The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Article 2-A of the social services law is amended by adding 2 a new title 5 to read as follows: 3 TITLE 5 4 STATE DISASTER EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR HOMELESS SHELTERS 5 Section 53. State disaster emergency requirements for homeless shelters. 6 § 53. State disaster emergency requirements for homeless shelters. 1. 7 For purposes of this title: 8 (a) "state disaster emergency" shall have the same meaning as defined 9 in paragraph b of subdivision two of section twenty of the executive 10 law, provided, however, such disasters shall be limited to those involv- 11 ing an epidemic or disease outbreak; 12 (b) "homeless shelter" shall include, but not be limited to a family 13 shelter, a shelter for adults, a domestic violence shelter, a runaway 14 and homeless youth shelter, a safe house for refugees, any hotel, motel 15 or apartment that is currently housing groups of individuals who are not 16 family members or that have requested to be housed together, any other 17 supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide 18 temporary living arrangements or any other location where homeless indi- 19 viduals and families may be residing; 20 (c) "homeless" shall mean the lack of a fixed, regular, and adequate 21 nighttime residence; having a primary nighttime residence that is a 22 public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular 23 sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, aban- 24 doned building, bus or train station, airport or campground or other 25 places not meant for human habitation; 26 (d) "direct placement" shall mean the process by which a private room 27 with a private bathroom is arranged for and assigned to a homeless indi- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01583-01-1A. 3521 2 1 vidual or family that does not require travel to any intermediary facil- 2 ity between the location of a homeless shelter or location of outreach 3 engagement and the facility in which such private room with a private 4 bathroom is located. 5 2. In the event that a state disaster emergency has been declared, all 6 social services districts operating, reimbursing, or contracting for 7 homeless shelters, and all other entities operating, reimbursing, or 8 contracting for homeless shelters shall offer individuals and families 9 private rooms with private bathrooms to each family in order to prevent 10 the spread of the disease or outbreak shall implement the following 11 procedures and protocols for the duration of such state disaster emer- 12 gency: 13 (a) (i) Immediately offer to each homeless person or household a 14 private room with a private bathroom through direct placement in and 15 safe transportation to a hotel, motel, public dormitory, or living 16 facility for the duration of the state disaster emergency in order to 17 prevent the spread of such disease or outbreak. 18 (ii) Prior to the beginning of every shift, every employee and volun- 19 teer shall be screened for any signs or symptoms of the disease that 20 caused the state disaster emergency to be declared. If an employee or 21 volunteer is showing signs or symptoms of the disease, they shall imme- 22 diately be sent home. 23 (iii) Provide adequate supervision, security, personnel, meals, main- 24 tenance and services in each such facility for the duration of its use. 25 (b) Comply with all policies, orders and guidance by the department of 26 health related to limiting the spread of the disease, including but not 27 limited to, the provision of private rooms and bathrooms, testing and 28 symptom monitoring, cleaning, maintenance and disinfection, appropriate 29 remote consultation with a designated health official, isolation and 30 transportation for homeless individuals, employees and volunteers who 31 may have been exposed, are awaiting test results and/or who have demon- 32 strated signs or symptoms of the disease, social distancing protocols, 33 and the supply, use, disposal and disinfections of personal protective 34 equipment. 35 3. In the event that a state disaster emergency has been declared, the 36 office of temporary and disability assistance shall be required to 37 establish an outreach network to make contact with unsheltered homeless 38 individuals and families. Upon contact, the office shall be required to 39 offer a direct placement and safe transportation to a hotel, motel, 40 public dormitory room or living facility for the duration of the state 41 disaster emergency to all homeless individuals and families. 42 4. In the event of a state disaster emergency, all homeless shelters 43 shall report the number of residents or staff with confirmed infection 44 of the diseases on a daily basis to the department of health and the 45 local health department in the county in which the homeless shelter is 46 located. The department of health shall aggregate and publish de-identi- 47 fied data, submitted by homeless shelters under this title on a weekly 48 basis, in a manner that is consistent with the federal Health Insurance 49 Portability and Accountability Act, as amended, and any regulations 50 promulgated thereunder. 51 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, one 52 hundred percent of the costs associated with the implementation of this 53 title shall be reimbursed by the state, minus any federal funds that can 54 properly be applied to such expenditures. 55 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
