What's happening
This bill requires hospitals in New York to prioritize environmentally sensitive products and services in procurement and construction.
Why it matters
Promotes public health by reducing exposure to harmful materials. By requiring hospitals to prioritize environmentally sensitive products and services, the bill aims to limit patients’ and staff’s exposure to potentially toxic chemicals, pollutants, or hazardous materials often present in conventional commodities or construction items.
Creates standardized environmental guidelines for hospitals. The commissioner of general services, in consultation with the health commissioner, must establish and regularly update clear guidelines and specifications for what qualifies as environmentally sensitive in hospital settings, ensuring consistency across the state.
Increases transparency and accountability in hospital procurement. Hospitals will have access to a sample list of approved environmentally sensitive commodities and services, along with their environmental and health benefits. This helps hospitals make informed choices and allows for easier oversight and benchmarking.
Encourages market development for green products. The state will maintain a list of firms offering environmentally sensitive goods and services, potentially boosting demand for these products and encouraging suppliers to innovate and expand their sustainable offerings to meet hospital needs.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Require Non-Toxic Hospital Supplies
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
5 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6131
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 23, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, DINOWITZ, ORTIZ, PERRY, RIVERA -- 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 the procurement and use of environmentally sensitive commodities and services by hospitals
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2805-z to read as follows:
§ 2805-z. Procurement and use of environmentally sensitive commodities and services. 1. For the purposes of this section the following terms shall mean:
(a) "Environmentally sensitive commodities and services" means those commodities and services that minimize adverse impacts on the public health and the environment as determined by the commissioner of general services.
(b) "Commodity" or "commodities" means materials, goods, supplies, products, construction items and other standard articles of commerce other than technology.
(c) "Construction item" means any item or material used in construction and which is procured directly by a hospital or by a person under contract by a hospital.
(d) "Service" or "services" means the performance of a task or tasks and may include a material good or a quantity of material goods, and which is subject of any purchase or other exchange. For the purposes of this section, technology shall be deemed a service.
2. The commissioner of general services, in consultation with the commissioner, shall establish and from time to time amend guidelines and specifications for environmentally sensitive commodities and services for use in hospitals; and for use in the construction, renovation or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03069-01-7
A. 6131 2
repair of hospital buildings and related facilities. Such guidelines shall be used to identify environmentally sensitive commodities and services which are available in the form, function and utility generally used by such facilities. Such commissioners shall review and evaluate existing research regarding environmentally sensitive commodities and services, including but not limited to, the United States environmental protection agency's guidelines for environmentally sensitive commodities and services, for the purpose of developing appropriate criteria for such guidelines and specifications.
3. The commissioner of general services shall disseminate to all hospitals guidelines and specifications for the purchase or use of environmentally sensitive commodities and services in hospitals; and for use in the construction, renovation or repair of hospital buildings and related facilities. The commissioner of general services shall also prepare and disseminate to all hospitals a sample list of such environmentally sensitive commodities and services that meet these guidelines or specifications and their environmental and health benefits. Every hospital shall consider such guidelines, specifications and sample list when making determinations as to the purchase of commodities, construction items or services for use in the hospital, or for use in the construction, renovation, or repair of hospital buildings.
4. On or before June first, two thousand nineteen, the office of general services and the department shall jointly issue a report providing an analysis of the impact of such guidelines and specifications on the purchasing and procurement practices of hospitals.
§ 2. Paragraph b of subdivision 3 of section 163 of the state finance law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (xiii) to read as follows:
(xiii) maintain a list of firms which produce or manufacture or offer for sale environmentally sensitive commodities and services in the form, function, and utility generally used by hospitals in accordance with specifications or guidelines promulgated pursuant to section twentyeight hundred five-z of the public health law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided that the commissioners of health and general services are authorized to promulgate any and all rules and regulations and take any other measures necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effective date on or before such date; and provided, further, that the amendment to paragraph b of subdivision 3 of section 163 of the state finance law, made by section two of this act, shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.