What's happening
This bill establishes a public awareness campaign and funding for maternal depression education in New York State.
Why it matters
Addresses a critical health issue. By mandating a public awareness campaign, the bill targets maternal depression—a condition often underrecognized—helping to reduce stigma and encourage more mothers to seek support and treatment.
Directly involves healthcare providers. The legislation ensures not only the general public but also maternal health care professionals receive education about the risks and remedies of maternal depression, potentially leading to earlier identification and better patient care.
Creates a dedicated funding stream. Establishing a specific “maternal depression fund” with the ability to accept state appropriations, grants, and donations means there will be ongoing financial resources earmarked for education and outreach, supporting sustained efforts rather than one-time actions.
Significant initial investment. The immediate allocation of $20 million signals the state’s strong commitment to maternal mental health, potentially enabling a robust, wide-reaching campaign and serving as a model for other public health initiatives.
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
New York State Department of Health
The bill would establish a maternal depression awareness program within the department and appropriate $20 million to carry out the act.
Maternal health care providers
The campaign would educate them about the risks and remedies associated with maternal depression.
People experiencing maternal depression
The campaign would raise awareness of the condition and its remedies, rather than establish direct treatment services.
State comptroller and commissioner of taxation and finance
They would jointly hold the new maternal depression fund, with payments subject to the comptroller’s audit and warrant and health commissioner approval.
Headline styles
Promote Maternal Depression Awareness
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
338
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. JOYNER -- 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 establishing a public awareness campaign for maternal depression and making an appropriation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a new title 7 to read as follows:
TITLE 7
MATERNAL DEPRESSION Section 2593. Public awareness campaign for maternal depression.
§ 2593. Public awareness campaign for maternal depression. There is hereby established within the department a maternal depression awareness program to educate the public and maternal health care providers about the risks and remedies associated with maternal depression.
§ 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-ssss to read as follows:
§ 97-ssss. Maternal depression fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner of taxation and finance a fund to be known as the "maternal depression fund".
2. The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated for its purpose, and all monies required by any provision of law to be paid into or credited to such fund. Nothing contained herein shall prevent the department of health 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. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner of health.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00058-01-9
A. 338 2
§ 3. The sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) is hereby appropriated to the department of health out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the credit of the state purposes account, not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act. Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of health in the manner prescribed by law.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.