Requires documents utilized by state agencies, public authorities and municipalities to replace the term "emotionally disturbed person", the official text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4762--B
                                                            R. R. 385
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 6, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. CHANDLER-WATERMAN, SIMON, LUCAS, ANDERSON, HOOKS,
   BURROUGHS, O'PHARROW, JACKSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Governmental Operations -- reported and referred to the Commit-
   tee  on  Rules  --  Rules  Committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to  the  Committee  on  Rules  --
   ordered  to  a  third reading -- amended on the special order of third
   reading, ordered reprinted as amended,  retaining  its  place  on  the
   special order of third reading
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring  documents
   utilized by state  agencies,  public authorities  and   municipalities
   to  replace  the  term  "emotionally  disturbed  person" with the term
   "person experiencing an emotional crisis"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 170-j
 to read as follows:
   § 170-J. MENTAL HEALTH REFERENCES CONTAINED  IN  STATE  AND  MUNICIPAL
 FORMS.  NO  FORM,  PREPRINTED  DOCUMENT,  OTHER  PUBLIC-FACING DOCUMENT,
 TRAINING MATERIAL, AGENCY GUIDANCE, OR MANUAL UTILIZED BY A STATE  AGEN-
 CY,  PUBLIC  AUTHORITY  OR  MUNICIPALITY SHALL USE THE TERM "EMOTIONALLY
 DISTURBED PERSON" TO IDENTIFY OR DENOTE A PERSON EXPERIENCING  EMOTIONAL
 DISTRESS  OR  AN  EMOTIONAL  OR  MENTAL  HEALTH  CRISIS.  ALL  FORMS  OR
 PREPRINTED DOCUMENTS, OTHER PUBLIC-FACING DOCUMENTS, TRAINING MATERIALS,
 AGENCY GUIDANCE OR MANUALS UTILIZING  SUCH  TERM  SHALL  BE  AMENDED  TO
 REPLACE  THE  TERM  "EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED PERSON" WITH THE TERM "PERSON
 EXPERIENCING AN EMOTIONAL CRISIS".
   § 2.  This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
 law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amendment  and/or  repeal  of
 any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on
 its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or  before
 such effective date.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07089-05-5