Bill Text: NY S09101 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a regional or county-based peer support services program for transgender and non-binary individuals that provides support services including but not limited to, peer counseling for mental illness including alcohol and substance abuse counseling, family support services, domestic violence, mental health and physical health.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-11-20 - REFERRED TO RULES [S09101 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S09101-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9101

                    IN SENATE

                                    November 20, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation  to  establishing  a
          peer  support services program for transgender and non-binary individ-
          uals

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

     1    Section  1.  The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
     2  7.49 to read as follows:
     3  § 7.49 Transgender peer support program.
     4    (a) The commissioner shall develop and establish regional  or  county-
     5  based  peer  support  services  programs  for transgender and non-binary
     6  individuals.   Services provided  by  the  peer  support  program  shall
     7  include,  but  not  be  limited  to,  peer counseling for mental illness
     8  including  alcohol  and  substance  abuse  counseling,  family   support
     9  services, domestic violence, mental health and physical health.
    10    (b) The commissioner shall foster programs for the training and devel-
    11  opment  of  persons  capable of providing the services set forth in this
    12  section, including, but not limited to, a  process  of  issuing,  either
    13  directly  or  through  contract, credentials for recognized or certified
    14  peer counselors.
    15    (c) The office shall establish minimum qualifications  for  recognized
    16  or  certified  peer  counselors in all phases of delivery of services to
    17  transgender and non-binary individuals who are evaluated  and  certified
    18  or  recognized  by  the office on factors including, but not limited to,
    19  completion of approved courses of study or equivalent on-the-job experi-
    20  ence in mental health counseling, alcoholism and substance  abuse  coun-
    21  seling or other credentials established or recognized by the office.
    22    (d)  The  office  shall  establish procedures for issuing, directly or
    23  through contract, credentials to  certified  peer  counselors  who  meet
    24  minimum  qualifications,  and  shall  further  establish  procedures  to
    25  suspend, revoke or annul such credentials for good cause.
    26    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD17632-01-0