New York A 1481: Establishes and funds the close the waitlist fund

Bill Text

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A01481 Summary:

BILL NOA01481 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S00117

&nbsp

SPONSORClark

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §99-ss, St Fin L; add §602, Tax L

&nbsp

Establishes and funds the close the waitlist fund by utilizing a tax surcharge to pay for providing senior services to individuals who have been waitlisted to receive such senior services.

Go to top A01481 Actions:

BILL NOA01481 

&nbsp

01/10/2025referred to ways and means

01/07/2026referred to ways and means

Go to topA01481 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA01481 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA01481 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 1481

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 10, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. CLARK -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Ways and Means

 AN ACT to amend the state finance law and the tax law, in relation to
 establishing and funding the close the waitlist fund

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The Older Americans Act was signed into
 2 law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 as part of "The Great Socie-
 3 ty". The primary purpose of the Older Americans Act was to support the
 4 local provision of quality services to seniors, including home care,
 5 meals, preventative medical services, transportation and caregiver
 6 assistance. The basic structure of the Older Americans Act and its
 7 implementation at the state, city and municipal level has remained
 8 largely unchanged for six decades, despite the composition, preponder-
 9 ance and needs of Older New Yorkers changing in dynamic fashion. Signif-
 10 icant changes are warranted as the senior population in our state is the
 11 fastest growing of all segments; in particular those age 80 and above
 12 are growing at the swiftest rate of all subgroups. Efforts are underway
 13 in the United States congress to modernize the Older Americans Act and
 14 provide additional funding to meet historical demand. New York State has
 15 undertaken a State Master Plan On Aging Process in recognition of the
 16 fact that the system needs to change to ensure that our seniors are
 17 empowered, supported and put in a position to thrive. However, irrespec-
 18 tive of all these grand designs, there are still tens of thousands of
 19 individuals who, for decades, have been waitlisted for senior services
 20 and thousands more who when they hear they will be put on a waitlist,
 21 decline to be added for fear they will die before services are rendered.
 22 The purpose of this bill is to close the waitlist forever, by providing
 23 necessary, modest funding from specific sources. This investment will
 24 actually save money as senior services allow people to stay at home, age
 25 in place, avoid institutionalization and/or spending down to Medicare.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00262-01-5

 A. 1481 2

 1 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-ss to
 2 read as follows:
 3 § 99-ss. Close the waitlist fund. 1. A special fund to be known as
 4 the "close the waitlist fund" is hereby established in the custody of
 5 the state comptroller and the commissioner of taxation and finance.
 6 2. The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated, credited, or
 7 transferred to such fund pursuant to law, all monies required by any
 8 provision of law to be paid into or credited to the fund and any inter-
 9 est earnings which may accrue from the investment of monies in the fund.
 10 Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the state from receiving
 11 grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in
 12 this section and depositing them in the fund according to law.
 13 3. Monies of the fund, when allocated, shall be available to the
 14 office for the aging to provide senior services to individuals who have
 15 been waitlisted to receive such senior services.
 16 4. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of
 17 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the director of
 18 the office for the aging.
 19 § 3.