S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6954
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 18, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  BRAUNSTEIN  -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law  and  the  civil  rights  law,  in
   relation  to  prohibiting  the  making  and/or  broadcasting of visual
   images of individuals undergoing medical treatment without prior writ-
   ten consent

   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
 2806-c to read as follows:
   § 2806-C. RESTRICTIONS ON BROADCASTING OF PATIENTS. 1.  EVERY  PATIENT
 IN  A  HEALTH  CARE  FACILITY IN THIS STATE SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE
 PRIVACY IN TREATMENT AND IN CARING FOR  PERSONAL  NEEDS,  INCLUDING  THE
 BROADCASTING  OF  THE  RECOGNIZABLE  IMAGE  OR  SPEECH  OF  SUCH PATIENT
 INVOLVED IN A HEALTH CARE PROCEDURE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SUCH  FACILI-
 TY,  WITH  THE  EXCEPTION  OF  BROADCASTING SUCH IMAGE OR SPEECH FOR THE
 PURPOSES OF ADVANCING THE HEALTH CARE TREATMENT  OF  THE  INDIVIDUAL,  A
 QUALITY  ASSURANCE  PROGRAM,  THE  EDUCATION  OR TRAINING OF HEALTH CARE
 PERSONNEL, OR NECESSARY SECURITY PURPOSES.
   2. SUCH PRIVACY IN TREATMENT SHALL INCLUDE THE OBTAINING BY THE HEALTH
 CARE FACILITY OF EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT ON  A  SEPARATE  DOCUMENT  USED
 SOLELY  FOR  SUCH PURPOSE FROM AN INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING TREATMENT IN SUCH
 FACILITY PRIOR TO BROADCASTING THE RECOGNIZABLE IMAGE OR SPEECH OF  SUCH
 PATIENT  INVOLVED  IN  SUCH  TREATMENT.  IN THE CASE OF BROADCASTING THE
 RECOGNIZABLE IMAGE OR SPEECH FOR EDUCATION OR TRAINING  OF  HEALTH  CARE
 PERSONNEL,  THE  PATIENT  SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW OF AND SHALL HAVE
 THE RIGHT TO REFUSE THE BROADCASTING FOR THAT PURPOSE. A PERSON  LEGALLY
 AUTHORIZED  TO  MAKE  HEALTH CARE DECISIONS FOR THE PATIENT OR OTHERWISE
 AUTHORIZED TO CONSENT MAY GRANT SUCH CONSENT OR EXERCISE SUCH REFUSAL IF
 THE PATIENT CANNOT REASONABLY DO SO DUE TO SUCH PATIENT'S INCAPACITY.
   3. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01710-01-5
              

 A. 6954                             2
 
   (A) "HEALTH CARE FACILITY" SHALL MEAN A RESIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE FACIL-
 ITY, GENERAL HOSPITAL, FREE-STANDING AMBULATORY CARE FACILITY,  DIAGNOS-
 TIC AND/OR TREATMENT CENTER AND CLINIC AUTHORIZED UNDER THIS ARTICLE, OR
 WITHIN  AN  AMBULANCE  WITH  ALL  DOORS  CLOSED OPERATED BY AN AMBULANCE
 SERVICE  AS  DEFINED BY SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION THREE THOUSAND ONE OF
 THIS CHAPTER OR BY A VOLUNTARY AMBULANCE SERVICE AS DEFINED BY  SUBDIVI-
 SION THREE OF SECTION THREE THOUSAND ONE OF THIS CHAPTER;
   (B) "QUALITY ASSURANCE" SHALL MEAN ANY EVALUATION OF SERVICES PROVIDED
 IN  OR  BY A HEALTH CARE FACILITY FOR PURPOSES OF IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY,
 QUALITY OR OUTCOMES;
   (C) "EDUCATION OR TRAINING OF HEALTH  CARE  PERSONNEL"  SHALL  MEAN  A
 PROGRAM  OF  EDUCATION  OR TRAINING OF HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL OR STUDENTS
 BEING EDUCATED OR TRAINED TO BE HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL, THAT  THE  HEALTH
 CARE FACILITY HAS AUTHORIZED;
   (D)  "BROADCASTING"  OF  AN IMAGE OR SPEECH SHALL MEAN TRANSMISSION BY
 BROADCAST, CABLE, CLOSED CIRCUIT, INTERNET OR OTHER TELEVISION OR VISUAL
 MEDIUM, SOCIAL MEDIA, OR OTHER SYSTEM BY  WHICH  IT  CAN  BE  VIEWED  IN
 VIOLATION OF THE PRIVACY RIGHTS AND EXPECTATIONS OF A PATIENT.  PROVIDED
 HOWEVER,  THAT  BROADCASTING SHALL NOT INCLUDE TRANSMISSION OF THE IMAGE
 OR SPEECH OF AN INDIVIDUAL BEING TREATED, TRANSPORTED OR OTHERWISE CARED
 FOR OR ATTENDED TO BY AN AMBULANCE SERVICE AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION TWO
 OF SECTION THREE THOUSAND ONE OF THIS CHAPTER OR BY  A  VOLUNTARY  AMBU-
 LANCE  SERVICE AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION THREE THOUSAND
 ONE OF THIS CHAPTER, AT AN AMBULANCE  RESPONSE  SCENE,  PUBLIC  AREA  OR
 DURING DELIVERY OR ADMISSION TO A HEALTH CARE FACILITY, THAT IS CAPTURED
 BY  NEWS MEDIA, BYSTANDERS OR OTHERS WHO DO NOT HAVE THE WRITTEN CONSENT
 OF SUCH AMBULANCE SERVICE OR VOLUNTARY AMBULANCE SERVICE.
   (E) NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY WHERE THE  RECOGNIZABLE  IMAGE
 OR  SPEECH  IS  PRODUCED  BY  A  NEWS DEPARTMENT OR NEWS DIVISION AND IS
 BROADCAST OR CONVEYED AS PART OF A NEWSCAST, INVESTIGATIVE NEWS  PROGRAM
 OR NEWS REPORT IN ANY ELECTRONIC OR PRINTED FORM. THIS SECTION SHALL NOT
 APPLY  TO  IMAGES OR SPEECH THAT HAS BEEN OBTAINED BY PROFESSIONAL JOUR-
 NALISTS, NEWSCASTERS OR OTHER  INDIVIDUALS  OR  ENTITIES  RECOGNIZED  BY
 SECTION SEVENTY-NINE-H OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS LAW.
   4. NO HEALTH CARE FACILITY, AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF SUBDIVISION
 THREE  OF THIS SECTION, SHALL INCUR ANY LIABILITY UNDER THIS SECTION FOR
 THE BROADCASTING BY A THIRD PARTY OF THE RECOGNIZABLE IMAGE OR SPEECH OF
 A PATIENT INVOLVED IN A HEALTH CARE PROCEDURE IN THE FACILITY WHEN  SUCH
 IMAGE OR SPEECH WAS OBTAINED BY THE THIRD PARTY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR
 CONSENT OF THE FACILITY OR ITS STAFF.
   5. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL DIMINISH OR IMPAIR ANY RIGHT OR REME-
 DY OTHERWISE APPLICABLE TO ANY PATIENT.
   §  2.  Section 50-c of the civil rights law, as amended by chapter 643
 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
   § 50-c. Private right of action.  1. If the identity of the victim  of
 an offense defined in subdivision one of section fifty-b of this article
 is  disclosed  in  violation of such section, any person injured by such
 disclosure may bring an action to recover damages suffered by reason  of
 such  wrongful disclosure. In any action brought under this section, the
 court may award reasonable attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff.
   2. IF THE PRIVACY OF AN INDIVIDUAL AS DEFINED IN SECTION  TWENTY-EIGHT
 HUNDRED  SIX-C  OF  THE  PUBLIC  HEALTH  LAW REGARDING THE RIGHT TO HAVE
 PRIVACY IN TREATMENT AND IN CARING FOR  PERSONAL  NEEDS,  INCLUDING  THE
 BROADCASTING  OF  THE RECOGNIZABLE IMAGE OR SPEECH OF A PATIENT INVOLVED
 IN A HEALTH CARE PROCEDURE IN SUCH A FACILITY HAS  BEEN  VIOLATED,  SUCH
 INDIVIDUAL OR THE INDIVIDUAL'S ESTATE REPRESENTATIVE MAY BRING AN ACTION
 A. 6954                             3
 
 TO  RECOVER  DAMAGES SUFFERED BY REASON OF SUCH VIOLATION. IN ANY ACTION
 BROUGHT UNDER THIS SECTION, THE COURT MAY  AWARD  REASONABLE  ATTORNEY'S
 FEES TO A PREVAILING PLAINTIFF. THE CAUSE OF ACTION CREATED HEREIN SHALL
 SURVIVE  THE DEATH OF SUCH INDIVIDUAL AND SHALL ONLY APPLY TO VIOLATIONS
 OCCURRING ON AND AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   3. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL DIMINISH OR IMPAIR ANY RIGHT OR REME-
 DY OTHERWISE APPLICABLE TO ANY PATIENT.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.