Tax Donations for School Health

Section 1. The tax law is amended by adding a new section 630-f to read as follows:

§ 630-f. Gift for school-based health centers. Effective for any tax year commencing on or after January first, two thousand nineteen, an individual in any taxable year may elect to contribute to the schoolbased health centers fund. Such contribution shall be in any whole dollar amount and shall not reduce the amount of state tax owed by such individual. The commissioner shall include space on the personal income tax return to enable a taxpayer to make such contribution. The commissioner shall also ensure that a description of a school-based health center is included within the tax form preparation instruction booklet. Notwithstanding any other provision of law all revenues collected pursuant to this section shall be credited to the school-based health centers fund and used only for those purposes enumerated in section ninety-ninebb of the state finance law.

§ 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-bb to read as follows:

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD07760-05-8

S. 4487--B 2

§ 99-bb. School-based health centers fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the comptroller and the commissioner of health, a special fund to be known as the "school-based health centers fund".

2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received pursuant to the provisions of section six hundred thirty-f of the tax law, and all other moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing contained herein shall prevent the state from receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into the fund according to law.

3. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner of health shall provide a written report to the temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee, chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the state comptroller and the public. Such report shall include how the monies of the fund were utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall include:

a. the amount of money dispersed from the fund and the award process used for such disbursements;

b. recipients of awards from the fund;

c. the amount awarded to each;

d. the purposes for which such awards were granted; and

e. a summary financial plan for such monies which shall include estimates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and succeeding fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior fiscal year.

4. Monies of the fund shall be expended to fund expansion of medical services at existing school-based health centers or to establish new school-based health centers.

5. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner of health.

6. Amounts expended for school-based health centers pursuant to this section shall not affect the amount that would otherwise be appropriated for school-based health centers under any other provision of law.

7. Services performed by school-based health centers available for moneys from this fund shall include, but not be limited to:

a. comprehensive physical health and mental health assessments;

b. diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses;

c. vision, hearing, dental, nutritional, and tuberculosis screenings;

d. routine management of chronic diseases;

e. health education;

f. mental health counseling and referrals;

g. immunizations;

h. working papers and sports physicals; and

i. population-based primary prevention.

Services shall be provided on-site by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of a mid-level practitioner, a mental health counselor, and a medical assistant in consultation with a physician. The centers shall also provide access to health care twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.

§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.