Healthcare

This bill allows New York's Commissioner of Health to authorize local health officials to request death-related records, including autopsy and toxicology reports, from coroners or medical examiners. It requires these officials to provide copies within three business days of record completion. The change directly affects local health departments and coroners' offices by expanding who can access these death records for public health purposes. The law specifically covers records related to deaths, streamlining access for health investigations without altering existing record-keeping requirements.

This bill (A 565) prohibits the establishment of new for-profit hospices and bans capacity increases for existing for-profit hospices. It applies to all approvals after the law takes effect, directly affecting for-profit hospice providers and their expansion plans. The law requires new hospice facilities to operate as non-profits and prevents existing for-profit hospices from growing their services. This represents a concrete change in healthcare regulation, restricting for-profit models in hospice care.

This bill authorizes New York City to transfer ownership of a specific parcel of city-owned land at 727 Greene Avenue in Brooklyn (Block 1614, Lots 1, 79, and 80) to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BSVAC) at no cost. The transfer enables BSVAC to build a permanent facility to support its emergency medical services, community health programs, and EMS training for the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The land must be used exclusively for ambulance services, emergency response, community health initiatives, and related programs, with ownership reverting to the city if these purposes are not maintained. The bill recognizes BSVAC’s longstanding service to the community and became law after being signed by the governor on December 5, 2025.

This bill extends Chautauqua County's authority to impose an additional 1% sales and use tax until November 30, 2027. It directly affects residents and businesses in Chautauqua County who pay sales taxes, as the county will continue collecting this tax during the extended period. The bill specifies that 3/20th of the tax revenue must be allocated to local municipalities based on population, while the remainder funds county Medicaid expenses, road projects, capital improvements, and debt repayment. This is a procedural extension of an existing tax authorization, not a new tax.

Provides that maternal health care facilities are not required to grant doula access during emergencies or when such access could compromise the safety of the patient or health care team.