 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          1026
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Health
 
        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to access to  doulas;
          and to repeal a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public health
          law  relating to permitting doulas to be present in the operating room
          while a cesarean section is being performed, as proposed  in  legisla-
          tive bills numbers S. 5991-A and A. 7606
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. A chapter of the laws of 2024 amending  the  public  health
     2  law  relating  to  permitting doulas to be present in the operating room
     3  while a cesarean section is being performed, as proposed in  legislative
     4  bills numbers S. 5991-A and A. 7606, is REPEALED.
     5    §  2.  Section  2500-m of the public health law is amended by adding a
     6  new subdivision (c) to read as follows:
     7    (c) The department shall require all maternal health  care  facilities
     8  to  include  and/or post on the maternal health care facility's webpage,
     9  lobby, and patient waiting areas information stating a  birthing  parent
    10  is  allowed to have a doula present in the maternal health care facility
    11  for delivery and/or inpatient care post-delivery. Such information shall
    12  be written in layperson's  language  and  shall  be  made  available  in
    13  English and the six most common non-English languages spoken by individ-
    14  uals  with limited English proficiency in New York state as based on the
    15  most recent census. The department shall produce  and  provide  maternal
    16  health  care  facilities with informational pamphlets stating a birthing
    17  parent shall be allowed to have a doula present in the  maternal  health
    18  care  facility  for  delivery  and/or  inpatient care post-delivery. The
    19  informational pamphlet shall be: available in each patient waiting  area
    20  as  a  printed  deliverable;  written  in layperson's language; and made
    21  available in English and  the  six  most  common  non-English  languages
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02853-01-5
        A. 1026                             2
 
     1  spoken by individuals with limited English proficiency in New York state
     2  as based on the most recent census.
     3    §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
     4  manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public  health  law
     5  relating  to permitting doulas to be present in the operating room while
     6  a cesarean section is being performed, as proposed in legislative  bills
     7  numbers  S.  5991-A  and  A. 7606; provided, however that section two of
     8  this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as  a
     9  chapter  of  the laws of 2024 amending the public health law relating to
    10  permitting expecting  and  new  mothers'  access  to  their  doulas,  as
    11  proposed  in  legislative  bills numbers S. 5992-A and A.  6168-A, takes
    12  effect.
Relates to access to doulas; repealer

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