STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 295 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 6, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to the negative effect of COVID-19 related budget cuts on certain populations The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Do No Harm 2 Act". 3 § 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 7 of section 23 of the state finance 4 law, as added by section 24 of part JJ of chapter 56 of the laws of 5 2020, is amended to read as follows: 6 (d) The following types of appropriations shall be exempt from such 7 reduction pursuant to this subdivision: (i) public assistance payments 8 for families and individuals and payments for eligible aged, blind and 9 disabled persons related to supplemental social security; (ii) any 10 reductions that would violate federal law; (iii) payments of debt 11 service and related expenses for which the state is constitutionally 12 obligated to pay debt service or is contractually obligated to pay debt 13 service, subject to an appropriation, including where the state has a 14 contingent contractual obligation; [~~and~~] (iv) payments the state is 15 obligated to make pursuant to court orders or judgments; and (v) any 16 reductions in funding that would compound the disproportionate impact of 17 COVID-19 on certain disproportionately impacted populations. Any 18 proposed reduction in funding that would compound the disproportionate 19 impact of COVID-19 on certain disproportionately impacted populations 20 shall be accompanied by a remediation plan to offset the dispropor- 21 tionate impact. For the purposes of this paragraph, "disproportionate 22 impact" shall mean disparities in rates of infection and death by race, 23 age, and zip code based on demographic data provided by state and local 24 departments of health. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02407-01-1

S. 295 2 1 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, the 2 amendments to subdivision 7 of section 23 of the state finance law made 3 by section two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such subdivi- 4 sion and shall be deemed repealed therewith.

Relates to the "Do No Harm Act"

What's Happening

Why It Matters