NYSRTL Legislative Matters
Last updated 7/5/2021
Have been Voted on by a Committee and are progressing toward a floor vote
Proposed Constitutional Amendments 1, 3, and 4
Constitutional Amendment Proposals for ballot
Proposals #1, 3, and 4 would endanger election integrity.
Position: Oppose
Summary: These have passed through the legislative process and, if approved by voters, would be a valid part of the New York State Constitution.
A1135 Paulin/S568 Hoylman
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law in Relation to Adding ‘Embryo’ to the Definition of ‘Tissue’ for Purposes of Tissue Storage
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would define embryos as “tissue” in NY Public Health Law.
Current Legislative Situation: In the Assembly, this bill has been passed by the Assembly Health Committee and is awaiting a vote by the full Assembly. In the Senate, this bill is still awaiting a vote by the Senate Health Committee.
Memo: Memo Against A1135 Paulin S568 Hoylman
A175 Gottfried/S5327 Rivera
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law, in Relation to Making Technical, Minor and Coordinating Amendments Regarding Health Care Agents and Proxies, Decisions Under the Family Health Care Decisions Act, and Nonhospital Orders not to Resuscitate
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would loosen protections against prematurely withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment from patients. It would also direct home care services agency personnel to follow nonhospital DNR orders.
Current Legislative Situation: In the Assembly, this bill was passed by the Assembly Health Committee and is awaiting a vote by the Assembly Codes Committee. In the Senate, this bill was passed by the Senate Health Committee. It was on the calendar to be votes on by the full Senate. However, it was not voted on by the end of legislative session, and so it was referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
Memo: Memo Against A175 Gottfried S5327 Rivera May 2021.pdf
A204 Gottfried/S4685 Rivera
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law and the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act, in Relation to Restoring Medical Futility as a basis for Both Surrogate Consent to a Do Not Resuscitate Order and for a Do Not Resuscitate Order for a Patient Without a Surrogate
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would restore “medical futility” as a standard for applying DNR orders under the Family Health Care Decisions Act and the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act.
Current Legislative Situation: In the Assembly, this bill has been passed by the Assembly Health Committee and the Assembly Codes Committee and is awaiting a vote by the Assembly Rules Committee. In the Senate, this bill was passed by the Senate Health Committee. It was on the calendar for a vote by the full Senate. However, it was not voted on before the end of legislative session, and so it was referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
Memo: Memo Opposing A204 Gottfried S4685 Rivera May 25
A5499 Glick/S470 Hoylman
Title: An Act Authorizing the Commissioner of Health to Conduct a Study and Issue a Report Examining the Unmet Health and Resource Needs Facing Pregnant Women in New York and the Impact of Limited Service Pregnancy Centers on the Ability of Women to Obtain Accurate, Non-Coercive Health Care Information and Timely Access to a Comprehensive Range of Reproductive and Sexual Health Care Services
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would require the Commissioner of Health, with the help of a commission that is highly likely to be biased, to conduct a report on crisis pregnancy centers for the purposes of policy recommendations.
Current Legislative Situation: This bill has been passed by the Assembly Health Committee, the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Assembly Rules Committee. It is on the calendar for a vote by the full Assembly. In the Senate, this bill is still awaiting a vote by the Senate Women’s Issues Committee.
Memo: Memo Against Commissioner of Health Report on Crisis Pregnancy Centers June 2021
A6058 Gottfried/S5474 Rivera
Title: New York Health Act
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would institute single-payer healthcare in NY.
Current Legislative Situation: In the Assembly, this bill has been passed by the Assembly Health Committee and is awaiting a vote by the Assembly Codes Committee. In the Senate, this bill is still awaiting a vote by the Senate Health Committee.
Memo: Memo opposing New York Health Act, June 2021.pdf
Have Not been Voted on by a Committee and therefore are not eligible for a floor vote
S2569 Helming/A4429 Manktelow
Title: Born Alive Abortion Survivors’ Protection Act
Position: Support
Summary: This bill, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors’ Protection Act, would require that babies who survived failed abortions be provided the same degree of care that is given to any other baby in a similar situation.
Memo: Born Alive Abortion Survivors’ Protection Act Memo 2021.pdf
S2669 Ritchie/A5729 Cusick
Title: Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Position: Support
Summary: This bill, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, would treat an unborn child as a separate victim in a case where a pregnant mother is assaulted. Unlike “single-victim” unborn victims of violence bills, this bill would actually treat the unborn child as a separate victim rather than simply adding an additional penalty for the assaulter for the loss of the pregnancy.
Memo: Supporting the Unborn Victims of Violence Act PDF.pdf
S2584A Brouk/A6616 Nolan
Title: An Act to Amend the Education Law, in Relation to Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Schools
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill “requires comprehensive sexuality instruction for students in grades K-12.” We do not take a position on sex education inherently. However, we oppose any sex education that includes pro-abortion indoctrination, and this bill does just that. The sex education this bill requires would be based on “National Sexuality Education Standards” which are pro-abortion. Further, this bill requires that, while designing a sex education curriculum, the Commissioner of Health and the Commissioner of Education consult with experts in “reproductive and sexual health care,” a known pro-abortion euphemism.
Memo: Final Memo Against S2584A Brouk A6616 Nolan PDF
A416 Perry
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law, in Relation to the Removal of Cases, Contacts and Carriers of Communicable Diseases Who Are Potentially Dangerous to the Public Health
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill empowers the Governor during a declared “state of health emergency” to forcibly detain, require vaccination for, and/or require treatment for those deemed “potentially dangerous to the public health.”
Memo: Changed Memo Against Forced Detention or Vaccination Legislation 2021 PDF
A4321A Paulin/S6471 Savino
Title: Medical Aid in Dying Act
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill, the misnamed “Medical Aid in Dying Act” would legalize physician assisted suicide in NY.
Memo: Memo in Opposition to Medical Aid in Dying Act PDF May 2021.pdf
A3322 Epstein
Title: An Act to Amend the Education Law, the State Finance Law and the Tax Law in Relation to Requiring the State University of New York to Provide Abortion by Medication Techniques at All Public Universities Within The State
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would require SUNY schools to offer abortifacients in their student health centers.
Memo: Final Memo Against A3322
Bills on which we have not taken a position
A6605 Abinanti/S5401 Reichlin-Melnick
Title: An Act to Amend the Social Services Law in Relation to the Pricing of Single Source Brand-Name Maintenance Medication for Which There is No National Drug Acquisition Cost Pricing
Position: Perhaps Oppose
Summary: This bill would mandate that if a social service agency buys a drug that is a single-source brand-name maintenance medication for which there is no National Average Drug Acquisition Pricing, the price must be the wholesale acquisition cost.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: Not within our area.
S5509 Comrie
Title: An Act to Amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law in Relation to Requiring the Pre-Licensing Course to Include Information on Organ and Tissue Donation and How to Register as an Organ Donor
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would require the pre-licensing course for operating a motor vehicle to include information on organ and tissue donation and how to register as an organ donor.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: Taking a stance against organ donation is very controversial and is not a current legislative priority.
S5973 Hinchey/A6392 Peoples-Stokes
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law, in Relation to Allowing Donate Life Registration on Electronic Application Forms Administered by the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, the Higher Education Services Corporation, and on mandatory Electronic Tax Filings
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would expand the number of documents on which people are given the option to become organ donors to include transactions administered by the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, applications or other transaction for college financial aid, grants or scholarships offered through the Higher Education Services Corporation and tax documents that are subject to mandatory electronic filing.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: Taking a stance against organ donation is very controversial and is not a current legislative priority.
S4071 Kennedy
Title: An Act to Amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law, in Relation to Designating Human Organ Delivery Vehicles as Authorized Emergency Vehicles.
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would designate human organ delivery vehicles to be authorized emergency vehicles.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: Taking a stance against organ donation is very controversial and is not a current legislative priority.
S4335A Benjamin/A4591 Dinowitz
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law, in Relation to Providing for the Remote Witnessing of Health Care Proxies
Position: Perhaps Oppose
Summary: This bill says that witnessing the completing of a healthcare proxy document can be done via audio-video technology rather than in person. It also says that appointing a healthcare proxy via audio-video technology requires only one witness, unless the person who is in a mental health facility, in which case appointing a proxy would require two witnesses
Reason Public Action Not Taken: Legal counsel did not think the bill rose to the level of something we would oppose.
S5633 Parker
Title: Public University Emergency Contraception Act
Position: Tentatively Oppose
Summary: This bill would mandate that public universities have to distribute information on and administer “emergency contraception.” Distribution of information must include schools telling students that “emergency contraception” “cannot and does not cause abortions.”
Reason Public Action Note Taken: This falls more under contraception, which, though harmful, is secondary.
A2178 Pretlow
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law and the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act, in Relation to Conforming and Improving the Process for Determining Incapacity
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill is too complicated to quickly explain.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: We did not take a public position on this bill because it was not clear what the effects would be.
A2634 Rosenthal/S4967 Rivera
Title: An Act to Amend the Public Health Law, in Relation to the Artificial Hydration and Nutrition Decision Standard
Position: Oppose
Summary: This bill would define assisted nutrition and hydration as “health care” and would empower agents to authorize the denial of nutrition and hydration for patients without the patients’ express consent.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: We found out too late that this bill was reintroduced this year. We are planning on taking public action next year as well as contacting certain legislators before then.
Memo: Revised Memo Against A2634 Rosenthal S4967 Rivera.pdf
S2129 Jordan/A4843 DiPietro
Title: An Act to Amend the Penal Law, in Relation to Establishing the Crime of Assault on a Pregnant Individual
Position: Tentatively Support
Summary: This bill is a single-victim “Unborn Victims of Violence” bill. This means that, in a case where someone assaults a pregnant mother and kills her unborn child, this bill would add an extra penalty for the loss of the pregnancy but would not recognize the unborn baby as a separate victim.
Reason Public Action Not Taken: We prefer a double-victim Unborn Victims of Violence bill.