Requires inspections of child day care homes, programs and facilities include the full premises; requires providers of a family day care home or group family day care home to disclose to the office of children and family services all persons who reside in the home where child day care is being provided; requires all providers of child day care to receive training for, provide and maintain onsite opioid antagonists for use during emergencies.
This bill allows licensed creative arts therapists (as defined under New York's Education Law Article 163) to bill Medicaid directly for their services. It amends the social services law to explicitly include these therapists in the list of providers permitted to bill Medicaid directly for covered mental health services. The change affects creative arts therapists who currently provide services within their scope of practice but may have previously needed intermediaries to access Medicaid reimbursement. The bill does not alter their scope of practice or expand covered services - it only changes the billing mechanism. This would streamline payment for these therapists while maintaining existing Medicaid coverage rules.
Requires health care plans and payors to have a minimum of twelve and one-half percent of their total expenditures on physical and mental health annually be for primary care services.
This bill amends New York's education law to clarify supervision requirements for marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors. It specifies that applicants must complete 3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience (for mental health counselors) or 1,500 client contact hours (for marriage and family therapists), all under qualified supervisors. Supervisors must hold at least 3 years of licensure, have diagnostic privileges, and complete 36 hours of continuing education in supervision ethics. The bill also allows the department to accept supervised experience obtained in waiver-exempt settings or under good-faith belief of proper authorization. These changes directly affect therapists seeking licensure and those providing supervision in mental health practice.
This bill amends New York's domestic relations law to guide judges in child custody cases. It requires courts to ignore the parents' sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression when deciding what is best for the child. Additionally, the law explicitly forbids judges from stopping a parent from undergoing gender reassignment as part of their custody determination. These changes apply immediately to ensure that custody decisions focus on the child's welfare without penalizing parents for their gender identity or medical transitions.
Relates to dispensing certain controlled substances for use by a person with a substance use disorder during certain emergency medical treatment, or to relieve acute withdrawal symptoms.
S 5860 modernizes New York's chiropractic practice laws by expanding what licensed chiropractors can legally do. The bill allows chiropractors to use diagnostic imaging (like X-rays), provide nutritional counseling, dispense approved supplements, and perform certain soft tissue treatments - previously restricted under older rules. It also authorizes chiropractic clinical assistants to support licensed practitioners under supervision. This directly affects chiropractors and their patients in New York, clarifying scope boundaries without permitting drug prescriptions or surgical procedures. The bill passed the Senate in June 2025 and is now pending in the Assembly's Higher Education committee.
Expedites the distributions of funds for the supervision and treatment services for juveniles program; requires that eligible municipalities receive the sum equivalent to at least their last approved supervision and treatment services for juveniles program plan.
This bill requires licensed cosmetologists and barbers to complete an eight-hour mental health first aid training program. The training teaches participants to recognize symptoms of mental health crises (like anxiety or depression), safely de-escalate situations, and refer clients to appropriate community resources. All current licensees and new applicants must complete this certified training to maintain or obtain their licenses. The law aims to enhance community safety by equipping beauty professionals - who interact closely with the public - with skills to support individuals in mental health distress.
S 4275 establishes new requirements for nursing home operators intending to close a facility, directly affecting residents, their families, and local communities. Operators must notify the Department of Health at least 90 days in advance and submit a detailed closure plan for approval, outlining how residents will be notified, assessed, and transferred to new settings. The bill prohibits operators from closing until all residents are relocated, increasing fees, or accepting new residents without disclosure during the closure process. Local officials can hold meetings and make recommendations to the Commissioner regarding the closure plan, which must be publicly available. Non-compliance with these provisions can result in penalties.
