BILL NUMBER: S62

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the reporting of
lyme and tick-borne disease infection after death

 
PURPOSE:

Relates to reporting Lyme and tick-borne disease infections after death

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the public health law to add a new section 2799 to
require that if a coroner, pathologist, medical examiner, or other
person qualified to conduct an examination of a deceased person discov-
ers that at the time of death the individual was afflicted with Lyme or
other tick-borne diseases, as determined by the commissioner, they shall
report the case promptly to the Health Department.

Section 2 states the effective date.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In August 2017, the Senate Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases,
in conjunction with the Senate Standing Committee on Health conducted a
public hearing regarding the public health threats posed by Lyme and
tick-borne diseases in New York State. In part, the hearing was prompted
by infections and deaths in Upstate counties of Powassan virus, a deadly
tick-borne infection that has continued to be identified through
surveillance by the Health Department. At the hearing, the Commissioner
of Health and other Department staff indicated that the statistics on
Lyme and tick-borne diseases may under count the total number of deaths
because these infections exacerbate pre -existing conditions and may not
be listed as the precipitating cause of death.

Nevertheless, these infections seriously compromise patient health and
have been noted by public health authorities to pose fatal risks. As
such, it is important that in cases where Lyme and other tick-borne
illnesses underlie the primary cause of death, such cases are reported
as infections to the Health Department for appropriate surveillance and
statistical accounting.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S677B/A4621B - Passed Senate/Died in Health

2019-2020: S6415 - Passed Senate

2020-2021: S677A - Passed Senate

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.