S 6284: Relates to prohibiting assisted living residences, retirement homes or nursing homes from closing in order to become shelters for asylum seekers.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6284 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 7, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Aging AN ACT to amend the public health law and the social services law, in relation to prohibiting the establishment or operation of a shelter for asylum seekers on a property that was formerly operated as an assisted living residence The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "Island Shores law". 3 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 4653-a of the public health law is 4 amended by adding a new paragraph (e) to read as follows: 5 (e) (i) No former operator of an assisted living residence shall be 6 granted authority or approval to establish and/or operate a facility 7 intending to house asylum seekers after such operator has notified the 8 appropriate regional office of the department that the operator intends 9 to close and/or decertify the assisted living residence. 10 (ii) For the purposes of this paragraph, "asylum seeker" shall mean an 11 individual who changes their country of usual residence to seek tempo- 12 rary or permanent residence in another country, and who has applied for 13 asylum under 8 U.S. Code § 1158 or is eligible to apply; or who is a 14 refugee as defined by section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nation- 15 ality Act (INA). 16 § 3. Section 43 of the social services law is amended by adding a new 17 subdivision 12 to read as follows: 18 12. (a) The commissioner shall not enter into any contract for the 19 establishment and/or operation of a facility intending to house asylum 20 seekers with a former operator of an assisted living residence after 21 such operator has notified the appropriate regional office of the 22 department of health that such operator intends to close and/or decerti- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05122-01-5 
 S. 6284 2 1 fy the assisted living residence pursuant to section four thousand six 2 hundred fifty-three-a of the public health law. 3 (b) For the purposes of this subdivision, "asylum seeker" shall mean 4 an individual who changes their country of usual residence to seek 5 temporary or permanent residence in another country, and who has applied 6 for asylum under 8 U.S. Code § 1158 or is eligible to apply; or who is a 7 refugee as defined by section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nation- 8 ality Act (INA). 9 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.