Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official source posted by the New York State Senate, fetched 2026-08-11. Nothing is edited or removed. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official source appears here in brackets. The official bill page.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1019
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
(PREFILED)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to doula access
during emergency situations
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 2500-m of the public health law, as amended by a
chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public health law relating to
permitting expecting and new mothers' access to their doulas, as
proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 5992-A and A. 6168-A, is
amended to read as follows:
§ 2500-m. Access to doulas. (A) When a person is admitted to a mater-
nal health care facility for delivery and/or inpatient care post-deliv-
ery, such person may designate a doula to have access to such person.
The maternal health care facility shall not deny such person access to
such person's designated doula. For the purposes of this section, the
term "maternal health care facility" shall mean a hospital or freestand-
ing birthing center providing perinatal services in accordance with
article twenty-eight of this chapter and applicable regulations.
(B) NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL REQUIRE A MATERNAL HEALTH CARE
FACILITY TO GRANT A DOULA ACCESS TO A PERSON OR AREA OF THE FACILITY
DURING EMERGENCIES OR WHEN SUCH ACCESS COULD COMPROMISE THE SAFETY OF
THE PATIENT OR HEALTH CARE TEAM.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public health law
relating to permitting expecting and new mothers' access to their
doulas, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 5992-A and A.
6168-A, takes effect.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02834-01-5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.