S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7548--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               April 1, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Economic Development --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,
   ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to establishing a
   mental health first aid training program for  licensed  cosmetologists
   and barbers
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative intent. It shall be the intent of this legisla-
 ture to promote the general health, safety, and welfare of the residents
 of the state by requiring  beauty  professionals  who  provide  services
 directly  to  the  public to undergo training in the provision of mental
 health first aid. Beauty professionals interact with the  public  daily,
 build  relationships with their clients, and have a strong connection to
 the community they live and work in.
   It is the judgment of this legislature that prompt and effective first
 aid for mental illness should be a top priority for  the  state.  Mental
 health  first  aid  training  is  customarily  an  eight-hour  course of
 instruction which educates participants in the  methods  of  effectively
 recognizing,  identifying,  understanding  and  responding  to signs and
 behavioral manifestations of mental illness and substance  abuse  disor-
 ders.  This  legislature  recognizes  that  mental  health illnesses and
 substance abuse disorders often  go  undetected,  and  as  such,  beauty
 professionals  who  have  frequent  contact with the community that they
 work in should receive mental health first aid training  to  potentially
 avert  tragedies  attributable to suicidal, harmful or aggressive behav-
 iors related to mental illness,  reduce  the  stigma  of  mental  health
 issues,  and  de-escalate and refer individuals who are suffering from a
 mental illness to receive the medical and  emotional  care  and  support
 they need.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11184-03-5
 A. 7548--A                          2
              

 
   § 2. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 408-c
 to read as follows:
   § 408-C. MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING. 1. ALL LICENSEES AND APPLI-
 CANTS  FOR  A  LICENSE  OR  RENEWAL  PURSUANT  TO  THIS ARTICLE SHALL BE
 REQUIRED TO RECEIVE EIGHT HOURS OF A MENTAL HEALTH  FIRST  AID  TRAINING
 PROGRAM, AS DETAILED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION.
   2. THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM SHALL BE AN EIGHT-HOUR
 COURSE  SPECIFICALLY  DESIGNED TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS EIGHTEEN YEARS AND
 OLDER IN EFFECTIVE APPROACHES TO ASSISTING SUCH INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING
 A MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CRISIS OR PROBLEM SUCH AS  ANXIETY,  DEPRESSION,
 PSYCHOSIS,  AND ADDICTION.  ADDITIONALLY, SUCH PROGRAM SHALL BE DESIGNED
 TO INCLUDE, BUT, NOT BE LIMITED TO ACCOMPLISHING  THE  FOLLOWING  OBJEC-
 TIVES: RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF COMMON MENTAL ILLNESSES AND SUBSTANCE
 ABUSE  DISORDERS,  DE-ESCALATING CRISIS SITUATIONS SAFELY AND INITIATING
 TIMELY REFERRAL TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
 IN THE COMMUNITY. UPON COMPLETION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID  TRAIN-
 ING PROGRAM, SUCH LICENSEE OR APPLICANT SHALL BE ISSUED A CERTIFICATE OF
 COMPLETION, WHICH SHALL BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR LICENSE.
   3.  ALL NEW LICENSEES AND APPLICANTS FOR A LICENSE OR RENEWAL SHALL BE
 REQUIRED TO COMPLETE A TRAINING COURSE, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION  TWO  OF
 THIS  SECTION,  EITHER  THROUGH  A  CERTIFIED ONLINE OR IN-PERSON MENTAL
 HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM AS DIRECTED BY THE SECRETARY.
   4. THE SECRETARY SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS  TO  IMPLEMENT
 AND ADMINISTER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 436-a
 to read as follows:
   § 436-A. MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING. 1. ALL LICENSEES AND APPLI-
 CANTS  FOR  A  LICENSE  OR  RENEWAL  PURSUANT  TO  THIS ARTICLE SHALL BE
 REQUIRED TO RECEIVE EIGHT HOURS OF A MENTAL HEALTH  FIRST  AID  TRAINING
 PROGRAM, AS DETAILED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION.
   2. THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM SHALL BE AN EIGHT-HOUR
 COURSE  SPECIFICALLY  DESIGNED TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS EIGHTEEN YEARS AND
 OLDER IN EFFECTIVE APPROACHES TO ASSISTING SUCH INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING
 A MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CRISIS OR PROBLEM SUCH AS  ANXIETY,  DEPRESSION,
 PSYCHOSIS,  AND ADDICTION.  ADDITIONALLY, SUCH PROGRAM SHALL BE DESIGNED
 TO INCLUDE, BUT, NOT BE LIMITED TO ACCOMPLISHING  THE  FOLLOWING  OBJEC-
 TIVES: RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF COMMON MENTAL ILLNESSES AND SUBSTANCE
 ABUSE  DISORDERS,  DE-ESCALATING CRISIS SITUATIONS SAFELY AND INITIATING
 TIMELY REFERRAL TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
 IN THE COMMUNITY. UPON COMPLETION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID  TRAIN-
 ING PROGRAM, SUCH LICENSEE OR APPLICANT SHALL BE ISSUED A CERTIFICATE OF
 COMPLETION, WHICH SHALL BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR LICENSE.
   3.  ALL NEW LICENSEES AND APPLICANTS FOR A LICENSE OR RENEWAL SHALL BE
 REQUIRED TO COMPLETE A TRAINING COURSE, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION  TWO  OF
 THIS  SECTION,  EITHER  THROUGH  A  CERTIFIED ONLINE OR IN-PERSON MENTAL
 HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM AS DIRECTED BY THE SECRETARY.
   4. THE SECRETARY SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS  TO  IMPLEMENT
 AND ADMINISTER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.