New York S 56: Establishes a drug checking program

Bill Text

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S00056 Summary:

BILL NOS00056B

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A00808-C

&nbsp

SPONSORFERNANDEZ

&nbsp

COSPNSRCLEARE, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, MAY, RIVERA, SALAZAR, SANDERS

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Add §507, amd §3305, Pub Health L

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Establishes through the department of health a drug checking services program to allow individuals to bring drugs or controlled substances and have them tested for contaminants, toxic substances, or hazardous compounds; requires the department to establish public health surveillance of the unregulated drug supply; provides exemptions for participants in the drug checking program from certain controlled substance offenses.

Go to top S00056 Actions:

BILL NOS00056B

&nbsp

01/08/2025REFERRED TO HEALTH

01/13/2025AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HEALTH

01/13/2025PRINT NUMBER 56A

03/24/2025AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HEALTH

03/24/2025PRINT NUMBER 56B

04/29/2025REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE

05/29/2025COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES

05/29/2025ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1456

06/09/2025PASSED SENATE

06/09/2025DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

06/09/2025referred to ways and means

01/07/2026died in assembly

01/07/2026returned to senate

01/07/2026REFERRED TO HEALTH

02/04/2026REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE

03/24/20261ST REPORT CAL.586

03/25/20262ND REPORT CAL.

03/26/2026ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 

05/12/2026PASSED SENATE

05/12/2026DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

05/12/2026referred to ways and means

Go to topS00056 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS00056 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS00056 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 56--B

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 (Prefiled)

 January 8, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. FERNANDEZ, CLEARE, JACKSON, MAY, RIVERA, SALAZAR --
 read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
 the Committee on Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
 reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee
 discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
 to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a
 drug checking program including requirements for enhanced drug check-
 ing service delivery and public health surveillance

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

 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
 2 507 to read as follows:
 3 § 507. Drug checking services program. 1. For purposes of this
 4 section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
 5 (a) "Enhanced drug checking services" means the utilization of all
 6 forms of drug testing equipment including complex technology or equip-
 7 ment designed to analyze substances and provide results at point of
 8 testing or point of care, which may include but is not limited to, chem-
 9 ical screening devices such as infrared spectrophotometers, raman spec-
 10 trophotometers, or ion mobility spectrometers.
 11 (b) "Public health surveillance" means the continuous and systematic
 12 collection, analysis, and interpretation of data needed for the plan-
 13 ning, implementation, and evaluation of public health initiatives.
 14 Public health surveillance may be used for the following purposes:
 15 (i) as an early warning system for impending public health emergen-
 16 cies;
 17 (ii) to document the impact of an intervention;
 18 (iii) to track progress towards specific goals;
 19 (iv) to monitor and clarify the epidemiology of health outcomes; and
 20 (v) to inform the public health policy and practices.
 21 2. The department shall:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00379-12-5

 S. 56--B 2

 1 (a) establish a program to authorize a county or municipality or other
 2 entity to provide enhanced drug checking services to assist individuals
 3 in determining whether a drug or controlled substance contains contam-
 4 inants, toxic substances, or hazardous compounds; and
 5 (b) establish public health surveillance of the unregulated drug
 6 supply to monitor trends and the impact on health outcomes and increase
 7 public awareness of new substance