Bill Text: NY A04638 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires drug tests for potential employees of the office of mental health and the office for people with developmental disabilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to health [A04638 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A04638-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4638
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 3, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. ORTIZ, SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Health
        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the  civil  service  law,  in
          relation to requiring drug testing for all potential officers, employ-
          ees  and  volunteers of the office of mental health and the office for
          people with developmental disabilities prior to employment
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law, as added by chapter
     2  978 of the laws of 1977, is amended to read as follows:
     3  § 7.23 Education, hiring and training.
     4    (a)  The  commissioner shall have the power to establish such programs
     5  of training and education related to mental illness as he or  she  shall
     6  deem desirable.
     7    (b)  The director of each facility in the office of mental health with
     8  the approval of the commissioner of  mental  health  may  establish  and
     9  supervise  training  and  education programs for employees. Directors of
    10  such facilities authorized to establish education or  training  programs
    11  may  enter into agreements with educational institutions to furnish such
    12  education and training in whole or in part.
    13    (c) The commissioner may grant leaves of absence to employees  of  the
    14  office  of mental health for the purpose of receiving training or educa-
    15  tion for the better performance of their  duties  and,  subject  to  the
    16  approval  of  the  director  of the budget, may continue the salaries of
    17  such employees, in  full  or  in  part,  in  an  amount  not  to  exceed
    18  reimbursement for the loss of earnings while receiving such training.
    19    (d)  The commissioner shall require any potential officer and employee
    20  of the office and any potential facility officer and employee, including
    21  any volunteer thereof, to submit to a drug  test  as  he  or  she  shall
    22  determine before such potential officer, employee or volunteer is eligi-
    23  ble  to  commence  employment  with  the office or any facility thereof.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08960-01-7

        A. 4638                             2
     1  Should any potential officer, employee or  volunteer  refuse  such  drug
     2  test,  such potential officer, employee or volunteer shall not be eligi-
     3  ble for employment with the office or any facility thereof.
     4    §  2. Section 13.23 of the mental hygiene law, as added by chapter 978
     5  of the laws of 1977 and subdivision (a) as amended by chapter 37 of  the
     6  laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
     7  § 13.23 Education, hiring and training programs.
     8    (a)  The  commissioner shall have the power to establish such programs
     9  of training and education related to developmental disabilities as he or
    10  she shall deem desirable.
    11    (b) The director of each facility with the approval of the commission-
    12  er may establish and  supervise  training  and  education  programs  for
    13  employees.  Directors of facilities authorized to establish training and
    14  education programs may enter into  agreements  with  educational  insti-
    15  tutions to furnish such training in whole or in part.
    16    (c)  The  commissioner may grant leaves of absence to employees of the
    17  office for the purpose of receiving training or education for the better
    18  performance of their duties and, with the approval of  the  director  of
    19  the  budget,  may continue the salaries of such employees, in full or in
    20  part, in an amount not to exceed reimbursement for the loss of  earnings
    21  while receiving such training.
    22    (d)  The commissioner shall require any potential officer and employee
    23  of the office and any potential facility officer and employee, including
    24  any volunteer thereof, to submit to a drug  test  as  he  or  she  shall
    25  determine before such potential officer, employee or volunteer is eligi-
    26  ble  to  commence  employment  with  the office or any facility thereof.
    27  Should any potential officer, employee or  volunteer  refuse  such  drug
    28  test,  such potential officer, employee or volunteer shall not be eligi-
    29  ble for employment with the office or any facility thereof.
    30    § 3. The civil service law is amended by adding a new section  153  to
    31  read as follows:
    32    §  153. Drug testing required for certain offices. All potential offi-
    33  cers, employees and volunteers at any facility operated  by  either  the
    34  office  of  mental  health  or  the office for people with developmental
    35  disabilities shall, prior to the commencement of employment, be required
    36  to submit to a drug test as the  commissioners  of  such  offices  shall
    37  determine.    Should any potential officer, employee or volunteer refuse
    38  such drug test, such potential officer, employee or volunteer shall  not
    39  be eligible for employment with the office or any facility thereof.
    40    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    41  it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediate-
    42  ly,  the  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation
    43  necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
    44  authorized  and  directed  to  be  made  and completed on or before such
    45  effective date.
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