NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7007

Senate Bill S7007

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring mental health first aid training for licensed cosmetologists and barbers

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Consumer Protection 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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 28, 2025	referred to consumer protection

2025-S7007 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7548
Current Committee:: Senate Consumer Protection
Law Section:: General Business Law
Laws Affected:: Add §§408-c & 436-a, Gen Bus L

2025-S7007 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a mandatory mental health first aid training program for licensed cosmetologists and barbers.

2025-S7007 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7007

SPONSOR: BYNOE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general business law, in relation to establishing a
mental health first aid training program for licensed cosmetologists and
barbers

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To create a mental health first aid training program as a requirement
for any cosmetologist, nail specialists, waxing specialists, natural
hair stylists, estheticians or barbers licenses. The mental health first
aid training program would be required for any new applicants, or those
seeking recertification.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

  Section 1 provides the legislative intent of this bill.

  Section  2 adds a new section 408-c to Article 27 of the General Busi-

ness Law which establishes a requirement  for  Nail  Specialty,  Natural
Hair  Styling,  Esthetics  and  Cosmetology  licensees and applicants to
complete an eight hour mental health first aid training program focusing
on recognizing the  symptoms  of  common  mental  health  illnesses  and
substance abuse, crisis de-escalation, and how to initiate timely refer-
rals  to  mental  health and substance abuse resources in the community.
Rules and procedures relating to this program would be  promulgated  and
administered  by  the Secretary of State. The certificate for the mental
health first aid training program would be valid for the duration  of  a
license.

  Section  3 adds a new section 436-a to Article 28 of the General Busi-
ness Law which establishes a requirement for any  Barber  licensees  and
applicants  to  complete  an eight-hour mental health first aid training
program focusing on recognizing the symptoms  of  common  mental  health
illnesses and substance abuse, crisis de-escalation, and how to initiate
timely  referrals  to mental health and substance abuse resources in the
community. Rules and  procedures  relating  to  this  program  would  be
promulgated  and administered by the Secretary of State. The certificate
for the mental health first aid training program would be valid for  the
duration of a license.

  Section 4 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The  goal  of this legislation is to promote the general health, safety,
and welfare of the residents of the state  by  requiring  cosmetologists
and  barbers  who  provide  services  directly  to the public to undergo
training in the provision of mental health  first  aid.  Beauty  profes-
sionals  interact  with the public daily, build relationships with their
clients, and have a strong connection to the  community  they  live  and
work in.

This  legislation  would  direct  the  Department  of State to require a
certified a 8-hour mental health first  aid  training  program  for  new
license  applicants and licensees seeking recertification. 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 disorders. 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  live  in  should
receive  mental health first aid training to potentially avert tragedies
attributable to suicidal, harmful or  aggressive  behaviors  related  to
mental  illness, reduce the stigma of mental health issues, and de-esca-
late and refer individuals who are suffering from a  mental  illness  to
receive the medical and emotional care and support they need.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Legislation.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect 90 days after it is enacted into law.

2025-S7007 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7007
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 28, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BYNOE  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
 
 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.
   § 2. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 408-c
 to read as follows:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11184-02-5

 S. 7007                             2
 
   § 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.

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