S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    755
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Health
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public health law, in relation to requiring the
   department of  health  examine  heat  vulnerability  and  heat-related
   deaths

   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
 212 to read as follows:
   § 212. HEAT VULNERABILITY AND HEAT-RELATED DEATHS. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES
 OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A)  "HEAT-EXACERBATED  DEATH"  MEANS A DEATH CAUSED BY NATURAL CAUSES
 ESTIMATED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE RESULTED  FROM  AN  EXISTING  HEALTH
 CONDITION EXACERBATED BY EXTREME, OR NEAR EXTREME, HEAT.
   (I)  SUCH ESTIMATION SHALL BE DETERMINED USING ONE OR MORE STATISTICAL
 MODELS BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   (II) AT LEAST ONE SUCH MODEL USED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL  UTILIZE
 SENSITIVE STATISTICAL METHODS THAT ASSESS DAILY TEMPERATURE AS A CONTIN-
 UOUS VARIABLE IN RELATION TO DAILY MORTALITY TO ESTIMATE HEAT-EXACERBAT-
 ED DEATHS, WITHOUT THE USE OF A QUALIFYING TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD.
   (III)  ONE SUCH MODEL SHALL UTILIZE SENSITIVE STATISTICAL METHODS THAT
 ASSESS DAILY TEMPERATURE AS A CONTINUOUS VARIABLE IN RELATION  TO  DAILY
 MORTALITY  TO  ESTIMATE  HEAT-EXACERBATED  DEATHS,  WITHOUT THE USE OF A
 QUALIFYING TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD.
   (B) "HEAT STRESS DEATH" MEANS A DEATH DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO HEAT ON A
 DEATH CERTIFICATE, OR WITH AN UNDERLYING OR CONTRIBUTING  CAUSE  OF  (I)
 EXCESSIVE  NATURAL  HEAT  OR (II) THE EFFECTS OF HEAT AND LIGHT, AS SUCH
 CONDITIONS ARE DEFINED IN THE MOST RECENT EDITION OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL
 CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES, PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00862-01-5
              

 A. 755                              2
 
   (C)  "HEAT  VULNERABILITY"  MEANS  THE  ESTIMATED  RISK OF HEAT STRESS
 DEATHS AND HEAT EXACERBATED DEATHS  OCCURRING  IN  A  GEOGRAPHICAL  AREA
 BASED ON SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IDENTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   2. THE DEPARTMENT IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO ISSUE AN ANNUAL
 REPORT  EXAMINING  HEAT  VULNERABILITY  AND  HEAT-RELATED  DEATHS IN THE
 STATE.  SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (A) THE NUMBER OF HEAT STRESS DEATHS IN THE MOST  RECENT  YEAR  AVAIL-
 ABLE;
   (B)  THE  ESTIMATION OF PAST HEAT-EXACERBATED DEATHS BASED ON THE MOST
 RECENT AVAILABLE YEARS OF DATA AND THE SMALLEST INTERVAL  OF  TIME  THAT
 YIELDS A RELIABLE ESTIMATE;
   (C)  A  DESCRIPTION  OF THE RELATIVE HEAT VULNERABILITY OF EACH CENSUS
 TRACT;
   (D) A DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED DATA;
   (E) A DESCRIPTION OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSESSED BY  THE
 DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE HEAT VULNERABILITY;
   (F)  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  METHODS USED TO DERIVE HEAT VULNERABILITY AND
 ESTIMATE HEAT-EXACERBATED DEATHS; AND
   (G) THE AGGREGATE  DEMOGRAPHIC  INFORMATION  OF  HEAT  STRESS  DEATHS,
 INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO, THE AGE, GENDER, CENSUS TRACT AND THE
 RACE OR ETHNICITY OF THE DECEDENTS.
   3. NO REPORT REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION SHALL CONTAIN PERSONAL IDENTIFY-
 ING INFORMATION.
   4. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS AS  MAY  BE
 NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   5.  SUCH  REPORT  SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE
 SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY NO LATER THAN JUNE FIFTEENTH, TWO
 THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX  AND  ANNUALLY  THEREAFTER.  SUCH  REPORT  SHALL  BE
 CONSPICUOUSLY POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.