A 8608: Establishes a statewide residential families committee within the developmental disabilities advisory council.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8608 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY May 22, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the Committee on People with Disabilities AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing a statewide residential families committee The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 13.05 of the mental hygiene law is amended by 2 adding a new subdivision (h) to read as follows: 3 (h) 1. In addition to any other committees established by the develop- 4 mental disabilities advisory council as deemed necessary by the chair 5 under paragraph one of subdivision (c) of this section, there shall be 6 established a statewide residential families committee whose members 7 shall be persons with developmental disabilities residing in community 8 residences, intermediate care facilities, or other residential facili- 9 ties for the care and treatment of persons with developmental disabili- 10 ties or family members or guardians of persons with developmental disa- 11 bilities residing in such residences or facilities for the care and 12 treatment of persons with developmental disabilities. 13 2. The commissioner shall provide for an appropriate and timely appli- 14 cation process to facilitate selection of members. No member of the 15 residential families committee shall be an owner, operator, person with 16 ownership interest in or board member of an entity operating a community 17 residence, intermediate care facility, or other residential facility for 18 the care and treatment of persons with developmental disabilities or be 19 employed by an entity operating a community residence, intermediate care 20 facility, or other residential facility for the care and treatment of 21 persons with developmental disabilities. 22 3. The statewide residential families committee shall meet quarterly. 23 4. The duties of the statewide residential families committee shall 24 include, but not be limited to: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11315-04-5 
 A. 8608 2 1 (i) Informing and advising the commissioner as to matters of impor- 2 tance for persons with developmental disabilities residing in community 3 residences, intermediate care facilities, or other residential facili- 4 ties for the care and treatment of persons with developmental disabili- 5 ties and their families and guardians; 6 (ii) Providing recommendations for statewide and regional priorities 7 and goals for individuals residing in community residences, intermediate 8 care facilities, or other residential facilities for the care and treat- 9 ment of persons with developmental disabilities and families and guardi- 10 ans of individuals residing in such residences or facilities; 11 (iii) Advising the commissioner on such other matters related to 12 community residences, intermediate care facilities, or other residential 13 facilities for the care and treatment of persons with developmental 14 disabilities as the statewide residential families committee deems rele- 15 vant; and 16 (iv) Holding regional public meetings to solicit and receive input 17 from residents of community residences, intermediate care facilities, or 18 other residential facilities for the care and treatment of persons with 19 developmental disabilities and from family members and guardians of 20 residents of such residences or facilities regarding their operation 21 including, but not limited to, care provided. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 23 have become a law.