NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8754

Senate Bill S8754

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Authorizes a community member or community ambassador to apply for involuntary admission of a person alleged to be mentally ill

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Mental Health Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 07, 2024	referred to mental health

2023-S8754 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6514
Current Committee:: Senate Mental Health
Law Section:: Mental Hygiene Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §9.27, Ment Hyg L

2023-S8754 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Authorizes a community member or community ambassador to apply for involuntary admission of a person alleged to be mentally ill.

2023-S8754 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8754

SPONSOR: PALUMBO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to authorizing a
member of the community or a community ambassador to apply for involun-
tary admission of a person alleged to be mentally ill

 
PURPOSE:

To authorize members of the community to submit an application for the
involuntary admission of a person alleged to be mentally ill..

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Provides that this act shall be known as "Tony's Law".

Section 2. Adds a new paragraph twelve to subdivision (b) lists the
parties who are eligible to file an application for the involuntary
hospitalization of a person who is alleged to be mentally ill and the
addition of paragraph twelve to subdivision (b) expands this list to

include members of the community over the age of 18 or a community
ambassador where one is designated.

Section 3. Provided the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Anthony Mangiarancina, widely known as "Tony" in his community, was
living in a roadside tent in Coram, NY at the time of his passing. He
had no family and repeatedly refused help from social services casework-
ers, medical professionals and members of his community seeking to get
him into addiction treatment. Despite regular interactions with law
enforcement in the years leading up to his death, gaps in current law
left his community with no way to compel him into recovery.

Addiction and other mental illnesses are driving the poverty and home-
lessness that plague our communities. Many of these individuals live a
secluded life and lack meaningful social support. As a result, they have
no one at their side to urge them to get help and assist them as they
navigate the system. Instead, they are often surrounded by individuals
who enable their condition, take advantage of them or discourage their
recovery. Not all those in addiction have the clarity of mind to recog-
nize their need for treatment and some can be so deeply affected that
they are a threat to themselves or those around them, necessitating
urgent treatment.

Current law permits family, medical professionals, cohabitants or social
service providers to file an application for the involuntary hospitali-
zation of an individual suffering from severe mental illness. Many home-
less individuals, however, lack these connections and as a result there
is no one to compel them into treatment and recovery. This legislation
fills a gap which left out many homeless individuals from the current
law, providing another tool for the community to protect their most
vulnerable members.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately

2023-S8754 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8754
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 7, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. PALUMBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in  relation  to  authorizing  a
   member  of the community or a community ambassador to apply for invol-
   untary admission of a person alleged to be mentally ill

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Tony's law".
   §  2.  Subparagraph  (b)  of section 9.27 of the mental hygiene law is
 amended by adding a new paragraph 12 to read as follows:
   12. A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THE PERSON  DWELLS  OR  RESIDES
 WHO  IS  OVER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN, OR A COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR IN COUNTIES
 OR LOCALITIES THAT HAVE AN ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10550-01-3

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.