New York S 4874: Criminalizes acting as a runner or soliciting or employing a runner to procure patients or clients

Bill Text

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S04874 Summary:

BILL NOS04874 

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SAME ASSAME AS A07392

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SPONSORFAHY

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COSPNSRHELMING

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §§176.00 & 460.10, add §§176.85 - 176.95, Pen L; amd §700.05, CP L

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Criminalizes acting as a runner or soliciting or employing a runner to procure patients or clients.

Go to top S04874 Actions:

BILL NOS04874 

&nbsp

02/13/2025REFERRED TO CODES

01/07/2026REFERRED TO CODES

Go to topS04874 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS04874 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS04874 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4874

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 13, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. FAHY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes

 AN ACT to amend the penal law and the criminal procedure law, in
 relation to criminalizing acting as a runner or soliciting or employ-
 ing a runner to procure patients or clients

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

 1 Section 1. Section 176.00 of the penal law is amended by adding four
 2 new subdivisions 6, 7, 8 and 9 to read as follows:
 3 6. "Provider" means an attorney, a health care professional, an owner
 4 or operator of a health care practice or facility, any person who
 5 creates the impression that they, or their practice can provide legal or
 6 health care services, any person employed or acting on behalf of any
 7 such person, or any person providing management or consulting services
 8 to any such person.
 9 7. "Public media" means telephone directories, professional directo-
 10 ries, newspapers and other periodicals, radio and television, bill-
 11 boards, and mailed or electronically transmitted written communications
 12 that do not involve direct contact with a specific prospective client,
 13 patient, or customer.
 14 8. "Runner" means a person who, for a pecuniary benefit, procures or
 15 attempts to procure a client, patient or customer at the direction of,
 16 request of or in cooperation with a provider whose purpose is to seek to
 17 obtain benefits under a contract of insurance or assert a claim against
 18 an insured or an insurance carrier for providing services to the client,
 19 patient or customer, or to obtain benefits under or assert a claim
 20 against a state or federal health care benefits program or prescription
 21 drug assistance program. "Runner" shall not include (a) a person who
 22 procures or attempts to procure clients, patients or customers for a
 23 provider through public media; (b) a person who refers clients, patients
 24 or customers as otherwise authorized by law; or (c) a person who, as an

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD09377-01-5

 S. 4874 2

 1 agent, broker or employee of a health maintenance organization as
 2 defined in section forty-four hundred one of the public health law,
 3 seeks to sell health maintenance organization coverage or health insur-
 4 ance coverage to an individual or group.
 5 9. "Pecuniary benefit" means goods, money, property, services or
 6 anything of value, or an agreement to confer or receive any such goods,
 7 money, property, services, or thing of value.
 8 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding three new sections 176.85,
 9 176.90 and 176.95 to read as follows:
 10 § 176.85 Unlawful procurement of clients, patients or customers in the
 11 third degree.
 12 A person is guilty of unlawful procurement of clients, patients or
 13 customers in the third degree when such person knowingly:
 14 1. acts as a runner on one or more occasions; or
 15 2. uses, solicits, directs, hires or employs another person to act as
 16 a runner on one or more occasions.
 17 Unlawful procurement of clients, patients or customers in the third
 18 degree is a class A misdemeanor.
 19 § 176.90 Unlawful procurement of clients, patients or customers in the
 20 second degree.
 21 A person is guilty of unlawful procurement of clients, patients or
 22 customers in the second degree when such person knowingly:
 23 1. acts as a runner on one or more occasions for a pecuniary benefit
 24 tha