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
________________________________________________________________________
1026
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
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 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bills numbers S. 5991-A and A. 7606, is REPEALED.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.
LBD02853-01-5
A. 1026 2
SPOKEN BY INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN NEW YORK STATE
AS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT CENSUS.
§ 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 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; provided, however that section two of
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.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.