S 135: Provides practical support for access to abortion care including, but not limited to, reimbursement for ground and air transportation, lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 135 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing practi- cal support for access to abortion care The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 2599-bb-1 of the public health 2 law, as added by section 1 of part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of 2024, 3 is amended to read as follows: 4 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the follow- 5 ing meanings: 6 (a) "Abortion" shall mean the termination of pregnancy pursuant to 7 section twenty-five hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article. 8 (b) "Health care services" shall mean the range of care related to the 9 provision of abortion. 10 (c) "Practical support" shall mean financial assistance to an individ- 11 ual to enable access to abortion care. 12 (d) "Program" shall mean the reproductive freedom and equity grant 13 program established pursuant to subdivision two of this section. 14 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 2599-bb-1 of the public health law is 15 amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows: 16 (c) Address practical support needs of individuals accessing abortion 17 care for individuals who lack ability to pay for such support. Funds 18 may be awarded to support practical support needs including, but not 19 limited to, reimbursement for ground and air transportation, lodging, 20 meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support. 21 § 3. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section 22 or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent juris- 23 diction to be invalid and after exhaustion of all further judicial 24 review, the judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remain- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00206-01-5 
 S. 135 2 1 der thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, 2 sentence, paragraph, section or part of this act directly involved in 3 the controversy in which the judgment shall have been rendered. 4 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.