The Assembly Health Committee favorably reported 11 bills at its meeting on April 30. The Committee reported bills authorizing adoptees to obtain copies of their birth certificates; to allow collective bargaining by health care providers with health plans; and enacting nurse staffing ratios in hospitals and nursing homes.

For more information on a bill, please contact the sponsor listed after the description. For the text of a bill, supporting memorandum, and information on its status, go to: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menuf.cgi

Apartment Building Smoking Policies - Requires owners of multiple dwelling buildings to develop smoking policies (which must be within their existing authority as owner), publicly post these policies, and share them with both tenants and prospective tenants. (A353, Paulin)

Menstrual Disorder Education – This bill directs the Commissioner, together with the Commissioner of Education, to create materials to be provided to school districts with information on symptoms and treatment of menstrual disorders. (A484, Rosenthal)

Generic Drug Information Access - Requires the Commissioner of Health to collect and publish data on the therapeutic effectiveness of generic drug products. (A612A, Paulin)

Isolated Hospice Patient Decision-making - Simplifies the process for decisions about routine care for hospice patients who don't have an appointed health care agent or a family "surrogate;" decisions would be governed by the provisions of the Family Health Care Decisions Act for patients who lack a surrogate. (A1124, Gottfried)

Health Care Provider Collective Negotiation with Health Plans - Allows doctors and other health care providers to form organizations to negotiate collectively with health plans. Negotiations could cover rates of payment, procedures for approving coverage of services, and other terms and conditions. (A2392, Gottfried)

Safe Staffing Levels – Requires the Department of Health to set nurse staffing standards for hospitals and nursing homes, to increase quality of care. (A2954, Gunther)

Birth and Death Certificate Fees - Jamestown - Permits the city of Jamestown to set the fee it charges for issuing a birth or death record. Currently, State law sets the fee at ten dollars. (A5456, Goodell)

Adoptee Right to Know - Allows adoptees who are at least 18 years old to obtain from the Department of Health a copy of their birth certificates and medical history forms if available. (A5494, Weprin)

School Registration Notification - Requires physicians and hospitals to document the name and address of any school attended by a school-aged patient and include such information in the patient's file. This will help track and prevent exposure to infectious diseases. (A6023, Perry)

Medicaid Minimum Coverage for Childbirth Hospital Stays – Existing law establishes mandatory minimum coverage periods for hospital maternity stays in response to a trend of “revolving door” deliveries. This bill adds the same patient protections to the Medicaid program. (A6381, Cook)

Concussion Information Packets – Requires schools, leagues, or other entities who organize youth tackle football leagues to provide information to parents regarding concussions and sub-concussive blows. (A6968A, Benedetto)