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S1668Senate2019-2020 SessionSame asA4915

List Opioids on Death Certificates

Official title

“Relates to death certificates for persons whose death is caused by an opioid overdose”

Sponsor John E. BrooksSD-8+3 co-sponsorsAffects Health
Status
Signed by Governor
Impact
3/10
Low
Outcome
Signed into law

Bill progress

Signed into law

What's happening

This bill requires death certificates for opioid overdose victims in New York to specify the opioid involved and related details.

Why it matters

  1. Improves data accuracy for opioid overdose deaths. By requiring that death certificates specify the exact opioid involved (if known), the bill ensures more detailed and reliable records. This can help health officials, researchers, and policymakers better understand which substances are most commonly responsible for fatalities.

  2. Enables more targeted public health responses. With clearer data on the specific opioids causing deaths, state and local agencies can tailor prevention, intervention, and treatment programs more effectively, focusing resources where they are most needed.

  3. Supports accountability and monitoring of emerging drug threats. Including related information as required by the commissioner (such as co-occurring substances or circumstances) allows for quicker detection of new or particularly dangerous opioids in circulation, bolstering efforts to respond to shifts in the opioid crisis.

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Who cares

Headline styles

List Opioids on Death Certificates

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
John E. Brooks

Senator · Senate District 8

Chair, Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs

History

  1. Signed chap.443
  2. Delivered to governor
  3. Returned to senate
  4. Passed assembly
  5. Ordered to third reading rules cal.129
  6. Substituted for A4915
  7. Referred to health
  8. Delivered to assembly
  9. Passed senateVote 60–0
  10. Advanced to third reading
  11. 2nd report cal.
  12. 1st report cal.532
Show 1 earlier action
  1. Referred to health

Companion bill

The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.

A4915Assembly

List Opioid Overdose on Death Certificates

Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Kimberly Jean-Pierre

Impact 3 · Low0% to pass

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

1668

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

January 15, 2019

Introduced by Sen. BROOKS -- 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 death certificates for persons whose death is caused by an opioid overdose

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

Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 4 of section 4141 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 153 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:

(d) Where a death is caused by an opioid overdose, such information shall be indicated on the certificate, including, if known to the person completing the death certificate, the specific opioid that caused the death of the decedent, along with any other related information as the commissioner may require.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD06849-01-9

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Sponsor's memo

Title of bill

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to death certificates for persons whose death is caused by an opioid overdose

Purpose

The purpose of this bill is to require that when a cause of death is related to an opioid overdose the certificate of death will include the specific opioid responsible.

Summary of provisions

Section 1. amends paragraph (d) of subdivision 4 of section 4141 of the public health law to require that when a death is caused by an opioid overdose such information shall be included on the certificate of death including the specific opioid responsible.

Section 2. is the enacting clause.

Justification

According to a 2014 analysis conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdose accounted for more than 28,000 deaths in the U.S, including from prescription painkillers and heroin.

Under current law, if a person dies of an opioid overdose the death certificate must state that the opioid overdose was the cause of death. However, there is no requirement that the death certificate include the specific opioid involved. This has led to a lack of information about which types of opioids are the most deadly. By recording this informa- tion on death certificates, more data will be available to better track which opioids are causing the most deaths.

Fiscal implications

Undetermined

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.