A 2439: Establishes a reproductive health services training and education grant program to train licensed providers and interns or residents who are employed by a hospital or otherwise enrolled in an accredited graduate medical education program in the performance of abortion and related reproductive health services; establishes the reproductive health training and education fund.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2439 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 16, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. EPSTEIN, SEAWRIGHT, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, REYES, BURDICK, PAULIN, SIMON, WOERNER, LEVENBERG, KELLES, CUNNINGHAM, DE LOS SANTOS, OTIS, GLICK, McMAHON, TAPIA, RAGA, SIMONE, SHRESTHA, JACOBSON, ROSENTHAL, SHIMSKY, LEE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a reproductive health services training and education grant program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 2599-bb-2 to read as follows: 3 § 2599-bb-2. Reproductive health services training and education grant 4 program. 1. As used in this section: 5 (a) "eligible participant" shall mean any health care practitioner 6 authorized to perform abortion care pursuant to section twenty-five 7 hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article or an intern or resident who is 8 employed by a hospital or otherwise enrolled in an accredited graduate 9 medical education program; 10 (b) "program" shall mean a reproductive health services training and 11 education grant program; 12 (c) "professional educator" shall mean community-based organizations 13 providing reproductive health care, continuing education programs for 14 qualified providers through professional associations or clinical educa- 15 tion programs that meet professionally recognized training standards, 16 comply with applicable state laws and regulations, and are capable of 17 providing culturally congruent care and implicit bias training; and 18 (d) "abortion" shall have the same meaning as is set forth in section 19 twenty-five hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article. 20 2. There is hereby established within the department a reproductive 21 health services training and education grant program to ensure health 22 care providers receive adequate training in abortion care. The program EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04174-01-5 
 A. 2439 2 1 shall provide funding for professional educators that provide or facili- 2 tate clinical education related to abortion care and other related 3 reproductive health services. The program shall be designed to provide 4 support to clinical educators in program development and administration, 5 and to address the support needs of individuals seeking additional 6 training on abortion care. Funding used to support the program shall be 7 subject to appropriation. 8 3. The commissioner shall distribute funds made available for this 9 purpose under this section. In determining funding for applicants under 10 the grant program, the commissioner shall consider the following crite- 11 ria and goals: 12 (a) Program development and administration. Funds may be awarded to 13 support the administration and operation of clinical education programs, 14 faculty recruitment and development, and the expansion of residency 15 programs to accommodate additional placements. 16 (b) Addressing practical support needs of eligible participants. 17 Funds may be awarded to support an eligible participant in obtaining 18 clinical education on abortion care and other reproductive health 19 services, including, but not limited to, financial support for travel 20 and lodging associated with attending a program. 21 4. In establishing and operating the program, the commissioner may 22 consult a range of experts, including, but not limited to, individuals 23 and entities providing abortion care, abortion funds, and other organ- 24 izations whose mission is to expand access to abortion care, to ensure 25 the program structure and expenditures reflect the needs of abortion 26 providers, abortion funds and consumers. The commissioner may make regu- 27 lations necessary for implementation of the program. 28 5. The commissioner shall submit a report no later than twelve months 29 after the effective date of this section and annually thereafter, to the 30 governor and to the legislature, which shall include, but not be limited 31 to, the total amount of grants issued, the number of eligible partic- 32 ipants, the number of eligible providers, and the region of the state 33 where the eligible providers are located. Notwithstanding any other 34 provision of law, the commissioner shall not report any information 35 related to identifying information of eligible participants in the 36 program. 37 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding 38 the date upon which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, 39 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 40 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 41 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.