S 992: Relates to care and protection of children; adds to the definition of children at risk infants who test positive for a controlled substance not prescribed by a physician, in their bloodstream or urine, are born dependent on such drugs or who demonstrate drug withdrawal symptoms, or who have been diagnosed with a condition attributable to in utero exposure to illegal drugs.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 992 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. ROLISON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Disabilities AN ACT to amend the public health law, the social services law and the family court act, in relation to care and protection of children 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 2541 of the public health law, as 2 added by chapter 428 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows: 3 1. "Children at risk" means children who may experience a disability 4 because of medical, biological or environmental factors which may 5 produce developmental delay, or infants who test positive for a 6 controlled substance not prescribed by a physician, in their bloodstream 7 or urine, are born dependent on such drugs or who demonstrate drug with- 8 drawal symptoms, or who have been diagnosed with a condition attribut- 9 able to in utero exposure to illegal drugs, as determined by the commis- 10 sioner through regulation. 11 § 2. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 1 of section 2542 of the 12 public health law, as added by chapter 428 of the laws of 1992, are 13 amended and a new paragraph (d) is added to read as follows: 14 (b) be coordinated with efforts to identify, locate and track children 15 conducted by other agencies responsible for services to infants and 16 toddlers and their families, including the efforts in (i) part B of the 17 federal individuals with disabilities education act, including early 18 childhood direction centers, (ii) the maternal and child health program 19 under title V of the federal social security act, including the infant 20 health assessment program, (iii) medicaid's early periodic screening, 21 diagnosis and treatment program under title XIX of the federal social 22 security act, and (iv) the federal supplemental security income program; 23 the keeping children and families safe act of 2003; [and] EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02810-01-5 
 S. 992 2 1 (c) provide for the identification, tracking and screening of children 2 at risk of developmental delay, using resources available through the 3 programs, identified in paragraph (b) of this subdivision and such other 4 available resources as the commissioner shall commit to this purpose[.]; 5 and 6 (d) create services and a monitoring program for gestational parents 7 who give birth to children at risk, which shall include, but not be 8 limited to identifying risks for the child's wellbeing, suggesting reha- 9 bilitative steps for the gestational parent to mitigate such risks and 10 working in accordance with the early intervention program and notify the 11 office of children and family services in the event that the gestational 12 parent is non-compliant in the monitoring program. 13 § 3. Subdivision 3 of section 2542 of the public health law, as 14 amended by chapter 231 of the laws of 1993, is amended to read as 15 follows: 16 3. The following persons and entities, within two working days of 17 identifying an infant or toddler suspected of having a disability [or], 18 at risk of having a disability, or who falls under the definition of 19 children at risk, shall refer such infant or toddler to the early inter- 20 vention official or the health officer of the public health district in 21 which the infant or toddler resides, as designated by the municipality, 22 but in no event over the objection of the parent made in accordance with 23 procedures established by the department for use by such primary refer- 24 ral sources, unless the child has already been referred: hospitals, 25 child health care providers, day care programs, local school districts, 26 public health facilities, early childhood direction centers and such 27 other social service and health care agencies and providers as the 28 commissioner shall specify in regulation; provided, however, that the 29 department shall establish procedures, including regulations if 30 required, to ensure that primary referral sources adequately inform the 31 parent or guardian about the early intervention program, including 32 through brochures and written materials created or approved by the 33 department. 34 § 4. Paragraph (ii) of subdivision 4-a of section 371 of the social 35 services law, as added by chapter 782 of the laws of 1971, is amended 36 and a new paragraph (iii) is added to read as follows: 37 (ii) who has been abandoned by [his] the child's parents or other 38 person legally responsible for [his] the child's care[.]; or 39 (iii) who is the child of a mother who is non-compliant with a moni- 40 toring program required in paragraph (d) of subdivision one of section 41 twenty-five hundred forty-two of the public health law. 42 § 5. Paragraph (ii) of subdivision f of section 1012 of the family 43 court act, as amended by chapter 666 of the laws of 1976, is amended and 44 a new paragraph (iii) is added to read as follows: 45 (ii) who has been abandoned, in accordance with the definition and 46 other criteria set forth in subdivision five of section three hundred 47 eighty-four-b of the social services law, by [his] the child's parents 48 or other person legally responsible for [his] the child's care[.]; or 49 (iii) who is the child of a gestational parent who is non-compliant 50 with a monitoring program required in paragraph (d) of subdivision one 51 of section twenty-five hundred forty-two of the public health law. 52 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.