NY State Senate Bill 2025-S4903

Senate Bill S4903

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Directs the creation of a document giving certain notice to parents and guardians of school age students who are diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition or a certain medical condition

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 14, 2025	referred to health

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2025-S4903 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Add §2500-n, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S4150
2023-2024: S2995

2025-S4903 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the "Shepherd Patterson law"; requires a physician who treats a minor patient with a medical condition that may cause a disability to provide certain educational information to such patient's parents or guardians indicating such minor is entitled to a free and appropriate public education as defined under section five hundred four of the federal rehabilitation act of nineteen hundred seventy-three; makes related provisions.

2025-S4903 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S4903

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring a physi-
cian who treats a minor patient with a medical condition to provide
certain educational information to such patient's parents or guardians

 
PURPOSE OF GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To provide potential life saving information to parents and guardians of
children with certain medical conditions about their right to request a
504 education designation.

 
SUMMARY: OF SPECIFIC PROVISION:

Section 1 provides that this act shall be known as the "Shepherd Patter-
son law."

Section 2 establishes a new section 2500-n in public health law requir-
ing the Department of Health, in consultation with the State Education

Department, to develop an informational pamphlet for health care profes-
sionals to distribute to the parents or guardians of a minor patient who
is diagnosed with a medical condition that may cause a disability as
defined under section 504 of the federal rehabilitation act of 1973.
Such a pamphlet must indicate that the child may be entitled to a free
and appropriate public education, which may include accommodations for
the delivery of programs and services.

Section 3 states the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Parents and guardians of children with life-threatening medical condi-
tions may be unaware of educational accommodations available to their
children and the possible life-saving benefit of sharing medical infor-
mation with school staff. This bill is intended to provide these parents
and guardians with information about education accommodations to help
their children and to inform teachers, principals and school staff on
the medical needs of their children.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: S2995/A4034 - Passed Senate/ Died in Health

2021-2022: S4150C - Passed Senate

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Ninety days after enactment, with any rule or regulation needed to
implement this act effective immediately.

2025-S4903 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4903
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, ADDABBO, CLEARE, FERNANDEZ, HOYLMAN-SIGAL,
   MAYER,  MYRIE,  RIVERA, ROLISON -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring a physi-
   cian who treats a minor patient with a medical  condition  to  provide
   certain educational information to such patient's parents or guardians
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as  the  "Shepherd
 Patterson law".
   §  2.  The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2500-n
 to read as follows:
   § 2500-N. INFORMATION ON EDUCATION ACCOMMODATIONS FOR A MINOR  PATIENT
 WITH  A  MEDICAL CONDITION THAT MAY CAUSE A DISABILITY. 1.  ON OR BEFORE
 JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX,  THE  DEPARTMENT,  IN  CONSULTATION
 WITH  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION,  SHALL  DEVELOP  AN  INFORMATIONAL
 PAMPHLET FOR PRACTITIONERS TO DISTRIBUTE TO THE PARENTS OR GUARDIANS  OF
 A  PATIENT  UNDER  THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN WITH A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT MAY
 CREATE A DISABILITY FOR  THE  PATIENT  AS  DEFINED  UNDER  SECTION  FIVE
 HUNDRED  FOUR  OF  THE  FEDERAL  REHABILITATION  ACT OF NINETEEN HUNDRED
 SEVENTY-THREE.  SUCH INFORMATION SHALL INDICATE THAT SUCH MINOR  MAY  BE
 ENTITLED  TO  A  FREE  AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION AS DEFINED UNDER
 SECTION FIVE HUNDRED FOUR OF THE FEDERAL REHABILITATION ACT OF  NINETEEN
 HUNDRED  SEVENTY-THREE, AS AMENDED, WHICH MAY INCLUDE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR
 THE DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR ELIGIBLE STUDENTS  WITH  DISA-
 BILITIES.    SUCH  WRITTEN INFORMATION SHALL ALSO STATE THAT THE PARENT,
 GUARDIAN, OR PERSON IN A PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE  PATIENT  SHOULD
 CONTACT  THEIR SCHOOL TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THE PATIENT
 AND THE BENEFITS OF SHARING POTENTIALLY  LIFE-SAVING  EMERGENCY  MEDICAL
 INFORMATION WITH SCHOOL PERSONNEL.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09303-01-5
 S. 4903                             2

 
   2. THE INFORMATIONAL PAMPHLET SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY PRAC-
 TITIONERS  ON  THE  DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE IN A PRINTABLE FILE, AND MAY BE
 AVAILABLE FOR  ORDER  AS  A  PRINTED  DELIVERABLE  ON  THE  DEPARTMENT'S
 WEBSITE.    THE  PAMPHLET  SHALL  BE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH AND THE SIX MOST
 COMMON  NON-ENGLISH  LANGUAGES  SPOKEN  BY INDIVIDUALS BASED ON THE MOST
 RECENT FEDERAL CENSUS.
   3. A PRACTITIONER MAY  PROVIDE  THE  PARENT  AND/OR  GUARDIAN  OF  THE
 PATIENT  WITH  THE  INFORMATIONAL  PAMPHLET  DEVELOPED  PURSUANT TO THIS
 SECTION.
   4. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "PRACTITIONER" MEANS  A  HEALTH  CARE
 PROFESSIONAL  LICENSED,  CERTIFIED,  OR OTHERWISE AUTHORIZED TO PRACTICE
 UNDER THE EDUCATION LAW, ACTING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
 completed on or before such effective date.

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