Senate Bill S809

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to access to doulas; repealer

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

  • 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-S809 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A1026
Law Section:
Public Health Law
Laws Affected:
Rpld Chap of 2024 (as proposed in S.5991-A & A.7606); amd §2500-m, Pub Health L

2025-S809 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the department of health to require all maternal healthcare facilities to include and/or post on the maternal healthcare facility's webpage, lobby, and patient waiting areas information stating a birthing parent is allowed to have a doula present in the maternal health care facility for delivery and/or inpatient care post-delivery.

2025-S809 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S809 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    809
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. PERSAUD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to access to  doulas;
   and to repeal a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public health
   law  relating to permitting doulas to be present in the operating room
   while a cesarean section is being performed, as proposed  in  legisla-
   tive bills numbers S. 5991-A and A. 7606
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. A chapter of the laws of 2024 amending  the  public  health
 law  relating  to  permitting doulas to be present in the operating room
 while a cesarean section is being performed, as proposed in  legislative
 bills numbers S. 5991-A and A. 7606, is REPEALED.
   §  2.  Section  2500-m of the public health law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision (c) to read as follows:
   (C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REQUIRE ALL MATERNAL HEALTH  CARE  FACILITIES
 TO  INCLUDE  AND/OR POST ON THE MATERNAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY'S WEBPAGE,
 LOBBY, AND PATIENT WAITING AREAS INFORMATION STATING A  BIRTHING  PARENT
 IS  ALLOWED TO HAVE A DOULA PRESENT IN THE MATERNAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY
 FOR DELIVERY AND/OR INPATIENT CARE POST-DELIVERY. SUCH INFORMATION SHALL
 BE WRITTEN IN LAYPERSON'S  LANGUAGE  AND  SHALL  BE  MADE  AVAILABLE  IN
 ENGLISH AND THE SIX MOST COMMON NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY INDIVID-
 UALS  WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN NEW YORK STATE AS BASED ON THE
 MOST RECENT CENSUS. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PRODUCE  AND  PROVIDE  MATERNAL
 HEALTH  CARE  FACILITIES WITH INFORMATIONAL PAMPHLETS STATING A BIRTHING
 PARENT SHALL BE ALLOWED TO HAVE A DOULA PRESENT IN THE  MATERNAL  HEALTH
 CARE  FACILITY  FOR  DELIVERY  AND/OR  INPATIENT CARE POST-DELIVERY. THE
 INFORMATIONAL PAMPHLET SHALL BE: AVAILABLE IN EACH PATIENT WAITING  AREA
 AS  A  PRINTED  DELIVERABLE;  WRITTEN  IN LAYPERSON'S LANGUAGE; AND MADE
 AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND  THE  SIX  MOST  COMMON  NON-ENGLISH  LANGUAGES
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

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