STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9008 IN ASSEMBLY February 1, 2024 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN, ALVAREZ, DICKENS, REYES, SLATER, SEAWRIGHT, ZACCARO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing a public awareness campaign for maternal depression; and making an appropriation therefor The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a 2 new title 7-a to read as follows: 3 TITLE VII-A 4 MATERNAL DEPRESSION 5 Section 2597. Public awareness campaign for maternal depression. 6 § 2597. Public awareness campaign for maternal depression. There is 7 hereby established within the department a maternal depression awareness 8 program to educate the public and maternal health care providers about 9 the risks and remedies associated with maternal depression. 10 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-bbbbb 11 to read as follows: 12 § 97-bbbbb. Maternal depression fund. 1. There is hereby established 13 in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner of 14 taxation and finance a fund to be known as the "maternal depression 15 fund". 16 2. The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated for its purpose, 17 and all monies required by any provision of law to be paid into or cred- 18 ited to such fund. Nothing contained herein shall prevent the department 19 of health from receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of 20 the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into the fund 21 according to law. 22 3. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of 23 the state comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commis- 24 sioner of health. 25 § 3. The sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) is hereby appro- 26 priated to the department of health out of any moneys in the state trea- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD05421-01-3A. 9008 2 1 sury in the general fund to the credit of the state purposes account, 2 not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for the 3 purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act. Such moneys shall be 4 payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certi- 5 fied or approved by the commissioner of health in the manner prescribed 6 by law. 7 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.