STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4741 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 27, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HANNON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a rural health council The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 235 of the public health law, as 2 added by chapter 630 of the laws of 1991, is amended to read as follows: 3 4. "Rural health council" shall mean [~~that advisory body to the~~ 4 ~~commissioner, created July, nineteen hundred eighty-eight, with members~~ 5 ~~appointed by the governor~~] the rural health council established pursuant 6 to section two hundred thirty-six-b of this title. 7 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 236-b to 8 read as follows: 9 § 236-b. Rural health council. 1. There shall be established within 10 the office a rural health council to be composed of twenty-one members 11 who shall be appointed as follows: 12 a. five members by the temporary president of the senate; 13 b. two members by the minority leader of the senate; 14 c. five members by the speaker of the assembly; 15 d. two members by the minority leader of the assembly; and 16 e. seven members by the governor. 17 Vacancies in the membership of such council shall be filled by the 18 appropriate appointing authority. The rural health council shall select 19 a chairperson from among its members. The members of the council shall 20 be reflective of the state's rural areas, as defined in subdivision 21 seven of section four hundred eighty-one of the executive law, and shall 22 include representatives of health care providers that comprise the 23 health care delivery system in the state's rural areas, individuals with 24 expertise in clinical and administrative aspects of health care deliv- 25 ery, health care financing and reimbursement, health care regulation, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10087-03-7

S. 4741 2 1 public health, health planning, health workforce education, and behav- 2 ioral health. 3 2. The rural health council shall be responsible for advising the 4 commissioner with respect to all aspects of rural health care and rural 5 health care delivery including, but not limited to, the impact of 6 proposed programs, statutes, regulations and health care reimbursement 7 policies. The rural health council shall also assist the office with its 8 responsibilities as delineated in section two hundred thirty-six of this 9 title; contribute to the biennial report required pursuant to section 10 two hundred thirty-seven of this title, and act as liaison and advocate 11 on rural health matters. 12 3. At least annually the rural health council shall, in conjunction 13 with the office, submit a report to the regional economic development 14 councils on the status of the health care workforce supply in their 15 respective regions. 16 4. Staff support for the rural health council shall be provided for by 17 the office as provided for in section two hundred thirty-six of this 18 title. 19 5. The rural health council shall meet as frequently as its business 20 may require, but not less than two times a year. Meetings may be called 21 by the chairman or at the request of the commissioner. 22 6. The entirety of each meeting of the rural health council shall be 23 live webcast to the public on the department's website, and archived on 24 the department's website, for a period of no less than two years, within 25 twenty-four hours of the adjournment of the last meeting. The department 26 shall provide notice to the public, via the department's website, of the 27 availability of the live webcast of each such meeting. 28 7. The members of the rural health council shall receive no compen- 29 sation for their services, but shall be allowed their actual and neces- 30 sary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder. 31 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

Establishes the rural health council

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