Authorizes agreements for county, city and town social services departments to access death certificates maintained by the department of public health.

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S1770-2013 Actions

• May 8, 2013: referred to health
• May 8, 2013: DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
• May 8, 2013: PASSED SENATE
• Apr 22, 2013: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• Apr 17, 2013: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• Apr 16, 2013: 1ST REPORT CAL.304
• Jan 24, 2013: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO HEALTH

S1770-2013 Meetings

Finance: Apr 16, 2013, Health: Jan 24, 2013

S1770-2013 Calendars

Active List: May 8, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Apr 17, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Apr 22, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Apr 23, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Apr 24, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Apr 29, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Apr 30, 2013 , Floor Calendar: May 1, 2013 , Floor Calendar: May 6, 2013 , Floor Calendar: May 7, 2013 , Floor Calendar: May 8, 2013

S1770-2013 Votes

S1770-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S1770

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the public health law, in relation to agreements to provide
county, city and town social services departments with access to death
certificates

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: The legislation
authorizes agreements
for county, city and town social services departments to access death
certificates maintained by the Department of Public Health.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Subdivision 5 of
Section 4174 of the
public health law, as amended by Chapter 170 of the Laws of 1994, is
amended to authorize a county commissioner of social services, city
commissioner of social services, town social services officer or city
social services officer as defined in subdivision 14 of Section 2 of
the social services law to obtain information on reported deaths in
New York State by entering into an agreement with the Department of
Public Health.

JUSTIFICATION:This legislation would allow county,
city and town
social services departments to enter into an agreement with the State
Department of Health granting access to the official list of death
certificates on file with the Department.

Death certificates are not public records and acquiring them can be an
onerous task for social service agencies. In some cases, quicker
access to these vital records could assist in the prevention of
public assistance abuse. The State Department of Health maintains the
official list of all death certificates filed in New York. This
measure would provide social service agencies with a more streamlined
and timely procedure to obtain information on reported deaths by
submitting a list of clients names and other identifying information
and cross-checking it against the Department's official list.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2012: S.1458/A.1411 - Passed Senate
2010: S.7714/A.10938 - Remained in Health Committee

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.

EFFECTIVE
DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.

S1770-2013 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

      S. 1770                                                  A. 1215

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                        SENATE - ASSEMBLY

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 9, 2013
                                 ___________

  IN  SENATE  --  Introduced by Sens. LAVALLE, DeFRANCISCO, LARKIN -- read
    twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
    Committee on Health

  IN  ASSEMBLY  -- Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred
    to the Committee on Health

  AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  agreements  to
    provide  county, city and town social services departments with access
    to death certificates

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1. Subdivision 5 of section 4174 of the public health law, as
  amended by chapter 170 of the laws  of  1994,  is  amended  to  read  as
  follows:

    5.  (a)  The  United States social security administration OR A COUNTY
  COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SERVICES, CITY COMMISSIONER OF  SOCIAL  SERVICES,
  TOWN  SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICER OR CITY SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICER AS DEFINED
  IN SUBDIVISION FOURTEEN OF SECTION TWO OF THE SOCIAL  SERVICES  LAW  may
  obtain  information from death certificates needed in the administration
  of old-age and survivors insurance benefits laws AND THE  ADMINISTRATION
  OF  ASSISTANCE  OR  CARE AS REFERENCED IN SECTION ONE HUNDRED SIX OF THE
  SOCIAL SERVICES LAW, subject to the provisions of any  contract  entered
  into pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision.
    (b)  In  addition,  the  commissioner  or any person authorized by the
  commissioner is authorized and  directed  to  enter  into  [a  contract]
  CONTRACTS to furnish the federal secretary of health and human services,
  A  COUNTY  COMMISSIONER  OF SOCIAL SERVICES, CITY COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL
  SERVICES, TOWN SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICER OR CITY SOCIAL  SERVICES  OFFICER
  AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION FOURTEEN OF SECTION TWO OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES
  LAW  WITH  information concerning individuals with respect to whom death

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD01668-01-3

 S. 1770                             2                            A. 1215

  certificates have been officially  filed  with  the  commissioner.  Such
  [contract]  CONTRACTS  shall  not  include any restriction on the use of
  information obtained by such secretary, COMMISSIONERS OR OFFICERS pursu-
  ant  to such [contract] CONTRACTS, except that such [contract] CONTRACTS
  may provide that such information is only to be used  by  the  secretary
  (or  any  other federal agency), COMMISSIONERS OR OFFICERS (OR ANY OTHER
  COUNTY AGENCIES OR TOWN OFFICES) for purposes of ensuring  that  federal
  benefits or other payments are not erroneously paid to deceased individ-
  uals OR TO ENABLE SUCH COMMISSIONERS OR OFFICERS TO PERFORM THEIR DUTIES
  PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED SIX OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW.
    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.