Bill Text: NY A06024 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a pilot program to create an assistance hotline for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex behavioral needs.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to ways and means [A06024 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A06024-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6024

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 30, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SEAWRIGHT  --  read once and referred to the
          Committee on People with Disabilities

        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation  to  establishing  a
          pilot  program  to  create  an assistance hotline for individuals with
          intellectual and developmental  disabilities  and  complex  behavioral
          needs

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 13.17 of the  mental  hygiene  law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision (e) to read as follows:
     3    (e)  1.  The  commissioner shall establish and administer a three-year
     4  pilot program to create  an  assistance  hotline  for  individuals  with
     5  intellectual  and  developmental  disabilities  and  complex  behavioral
     6  needs.
     7    2. The assistance hotline shall be accessible via  a  toll-free  tele-
     8  phone  number  and video relay service or other technology accessible to
     9  individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have  speech  disabilities,
    10  that operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
    11    3.  The office shall recruit and train employees to assist individuals
    12  with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex  behavioral
    13  health needs with access to services offered by the office.  Individuals
    14  with  intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex behavioral
    15  health needs, or the parent or guardian of such  individuals,  may  call
    16  the  hotline  to receive assistance with access to services, referral to
    17  services, and general information on services offered by the office.
    18    4. The hotline shall be accessible in English and the six most  common
    19  non-English  languages spoken by individuals with limited-English profi-
    20  ciency in New York state based on the most recent census  and  to  those
    21  who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities.
    22    5.  On or before the conclusion of the pilot program, the commissioner
    23  shall submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly,  and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04896-01-3
        A. 6024                             2

     1  the  temporary  president  of the senate evaluating the effectiveness of
     2  the pilot program.
     3    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     4  have become a law.    Effective  immediately,  the  addition,  amendment
     5  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
     6  of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to be made and
     7  completed on or before such effective date.