Bill Text: NY S06915 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enacts the "Protecting Our Nursing Homes Act" to establish a program to provide funding from the federal CARES act for nursing homes to purchase personal protective equipment, provide for the cost of COVID-19 testing, and to increase staffing.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S06915 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S06915-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6915

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 20, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  SERINO, JORDAN -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

        AN ACT enacting the "Protecting Our Nursing Homes Act of 2021" to estab-
          lish a program to  provide  funding  for  nursing  homes  to  purchase
          personal  protective equipment, provide for the cost of COVID-19 test-
          ing, and to increase staffing; and providing for the  repeal  of  such
          provisions upon expiration thereof

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

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "Protecting Our Nursing Homes Act of 2021".
     3    § 2. 1. For the purposes of this act:
     4    a. "Nursing home" shall mean a facility pursuant to subdivision two of
     5  section  2801 of the public health law or an adult care facility subject
     6  to the provisions of title two of article seven of the  social  services
     7  law.
     8    b.  "Personal  protective  clothing and equipment" shall mean personal
     9  protective clothing and equipment worn for  protection  against  illness
    10  from  infectious  disease  or materials or to help prevent or reduce the
    11  spread of infectious disease or illness, including, but not limited  to,
    12  isolation gowns and coveralls, gloves, facemasks, face shields, goggles,
    13  and  any  other  clothing or equipment determined by the commissioner of
    14  health to be effective in protecting the  wearer  against  illness  from
    15  infectious  disease or materials or to help prevent or reduce the spread
    16  of infectious disease or illness.
    17    2. The commissioner of health is hereby  authorized  and  directed  to
    18  establish  and  implement a program to provide nursing homes with funds:
    19  to purchase personal protective equipment; to provide for  the  cost  of
    20  COVID-19  testing  for nursing home residents and employees; to hire and
    21  train additional staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; or to  make

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07888-01-1
        S. 6915                             2

     1  any  purchase  directly  related to improving pandemic response within a
     2  nursing home.
     3    3.  Such program shall be provided no less than $100,000,000 of monies
     4  from remaining and future federal funds provided  for  COVID-19  relief,
     5  including,  but  not  limited to, monies that have been allocated to the
     6  state of New York by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief,  and  Economic
     7  Security  (CARES)  Act  of  2020  (P.L. 116-136) and HR133 that have not
     8  otherwise been  obligated,  to  provide  nursing  homes  with  funds  to
     9  purchase personal protective equipment or hire additional staff.
    10    4. Any unit of local government that received funding from the federal
    11  Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 (P.L.
    12  116-136)  or  which  receive  future federal funding for COVID-19 relief
    13  shall create a program to provide nursing homes with funds  to  purchase
    14  personal  protective equipment, provide for the cost of COVID-19 testing
    15  for nursing home residents and employees, or hire and  train  additional
    16  staff,  with  a  funding  level  proportional  to  the size of the state
    17  program, and the funding they received from the CARES Act or  subsequent
    18  COVID-19 relief funding.
    19    §  3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire July 31,
    20  2022, when upon such date the provisions of this  act  shall  be  deemed
    21  repealed.