S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2439
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 16, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  EPSTEIN,  SEAWRIGHT,  GONZALEZ-ROJAS, REYES,
   BURDICK,  PAULIN,  SIMON,  WOERNER,  LEVENBERG,  KELLES,   CUNNINGHAM,
   DE LOS SANTOS,  OTIS,  GLICK,  McMAHON, TAPIA, RAGA, SIMONE, SHRESTHA,
   JACOBSON, ROSENTHAL, SHIMSKY, LEE -- read once  and  referred  to  the
   Committee on Health

 AN  ACT  to  amend  the public health law, in relation to establishing a
   reproductive health services training and education grant program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
 2599-bb-2 to read as follows:
   § 2599-BB-2. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES TRAINING AND EDUCATION GRANT
 PROGRAM. 1. AS USED IN THIS SECTION:
   (A) "ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT" SHALL MEAN  ANY  HEALTH  CARE  PRACTITIONER
 AUTHORIZED  TO  PERFORM  ABORTION  CARE  PURSUANT TO SECTION TWENTY-FIVE
 HUNDRED NINETY-NINE-BB OF THIS ARTICLE OR AN INTERN OR RESIDENT  WHO  IS
 EMPLOYED  BY  A HOSPITAL OR OTHERWISE ENROLLED IN AN ACCREDITED GRADUATE
 MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM;
   (B) "PROGRAM" SHALL MEAN A REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES  TRAINING  AND
 EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM;
   (C)  "PROFESSIONAL  EDUCATOR" SHALL MEAN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
 PROVIDING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, CONTINUING  EDUCATION  PROGRAMS  FOR
 QUALIFIED PROVIDERS THROUGH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OR CLINICAL EDUCA-
 TION  PROGRAMS  THAT  MEET PROFESSIONALLY RECOGNIZED TRAINING STANDARDS,
 COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, AND  ARE  CAPABLE  OF
 PROVIDING CULTURALLY CONGRUENT CARE AND IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING; AND
   (D)  "ABORTION" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS IS SET FORTH IN SECTION
 TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE-BB OF THIS ARTICLE.
   2. THERE IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE  DEPARTMENT  A  REPRODUCTIVE
 HEALTH  SERVICES  TRAINING  AND EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM TO ENSURE HEALTH
 CARE PROVIDERS RECEIVE ADEQUATE TRAINING IN ABORTION CARE.  THE  PROGRAM
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04174-01-5
              

 A. 2439                             2
 
 SHALL PROVIDE FUNDING FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS THAT PROVIDE OR FACILI-
 TATE  CLINICAL  EDUCATION  RELATED  TO  ABORTION  CARE AND OTHER RELATED
 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES. THE PROGRAM SHALL BE DESIGNED  TO  PROVIDE
 SUPPORT TO CLINICAL EDUCATORS IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION,
 AND  TO  ADDRESS  THE  SUPPORT  NEEDS  OF INDIVIDUALS SEEKING ADDITIONAL
 TRAINING ON ABORTION CARE. FUNDING USED TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM SHALL  BE
 SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION.
   3.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  DISTRIBUTE FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE FOR THIS
 PURPOSE UNDER THIS SECTION. IN DETERMINING FUNDING FOR APPLICANTS  UNDER
 THE  GRANT PROGRAM, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING CRITE-
 RIA AND GOALS:
   (A) PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. FUNDS MAY  BE  AWARDED  TO
 SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATION OF CLINICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS,
 FACULTY  RECRUITMENT  AND  DEVELOPMENT,  AND  THE EXPANSION OF RESIDENCY
 PROGRAMS TO ACCOMMODATE ADDITIONAL PLACEMENTS.
   (B) ADDRESSING  PRACTICAL  SUPPORT  NEEDS  OF  ELIGIBLE  PARTICIPANTS.
 FUNDS  MAY  BE  AWARDED  TO SUPPORT AN ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT IN OBTAINING
 CLINICAL EDUCATION  ON  ABORTION  CARE  AND  OTHER  REPRODUCTIVE  HEALTH
 SERVICES,  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT LIMITED TO, FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR TRAVEL
 AND LODGING ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENDING A PROGRAM.
   4. IN ESTABLISHING AND OPERATING THE  PROGRAM,  THE  COMMISSIONER  MAY
 CONSULT  A  RANGE OF EXPERTS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, INDIVIDUALS
 AND ENTITIES PROVIDING ABORTION CARE, ABORTION FUNDS, AND  OTHER  ORGAN-
 IZATIONS  WHOSE  MISSION IS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO ABORTION CARE, TO ENSURE
 THE PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND EXPENDITURES REFLECT  THE  NEEDS  OF  ABORTION
 PROVIDERS, ABORTION FUNDS AND CONSUMERS. THE COMMISSIONER MAY MAKE REGU-
 LATIONS NECESSARY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM.
   5.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT NO LATER THAN TWELVE MONTHS
 AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, TO THE
 GOVERNOR AND TO THE LEGISLATURE, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED
 TO, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANTS ISSUED, THE NUMBER  OF  ELIGIBLE  PARTIC-
 IPANTS,  THE  NUMBER  OF ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS, AND THE REGION OF THE STATE
 WHERE THE ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS  ARE  LOCATED.  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY  OTHER
 PROVISION  OF  LAW,  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL NOT REPORT ANY INFORMATION
 RELATED TO IDENTIFYING  INFORMATION  OF  ELIGIBLE  PARTICIPANTS  IN  THE
 PROGRAM.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
 the date upon which it shall have become a law.  Effective  immediately,
 the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
 sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.