Senate Bill S117

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes and funds the close the waitlist fund

download bill text pdf

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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

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2025-S117 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Finance
Law Section:
State Finance Law
Laws Affected:
Add §99-ss, St Fin L; add §602, Tax L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
S8187

2025-S117 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes and funds the close the waitlist fund by utilizing a tax surcharge to pay for providing senior services to individuals who have been waitlisted to receive such senior services.

2025-S117 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    117
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the state finance law and the tax law,  in  relation  to
   establishing and funding the close the waitlist fund

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative intent. The Older Americans Act was signed into
 law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 as part of "The Great  Socie-
 ty".  The  primary purpose of the Older Americans Act was to support the
 local provision of quality services to  seniors,  including  home  care,
 meals,  preventative  medical  services,  transportation  and  caregiver
 assistance. The basic structure of  the  Older  Americans  Act  and  its
 implementation  at  the  state,  city  and  municipal level has remained
 largely unchanged for six decades, despite the  composition,  preponder-
 ance and needs of Older New Yorkers changing in dynamic fashion. Signif-
 icant changes are warranted as the senior population in our state is the
 fastest  growing  of  all segments; in particular those age 80 and above
 are growing at the swiftest rate of all subgroups. Efforts are  underway
 in  the  United States congress to modernize the Older Americans Act and
 provide additional funding to meet historical demand. New York State has
 undertaken a State Master Plan On Aging Process in  recognition  of  the
 fact  that  the  system  needs  to change to ensure that our seniors are
 empowered, supported and put in a position to thrive. However, irrespec-
 tive of all these grand designs, there are still tens  of  thousands  of
 individuals  who,  for decades, have been waitlisted for senior services
 and thousands more who when they hear they will be put  on  a  waitlist,
 decline to be added for fear they will die before services are rendered.
 The  purpose of this bill is to close the waitlist forever, by providing
 necessary, modest funding from specific sources.  This  investment  will
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00262-01-5
              

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