NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A11326
SPONSOR: Rules (Lee) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the closure of
nursing homes
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish a process and oversight when operators elect to close nurs-
ing homes and to ensure resident safety, continuity of care, and trans-
parency.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill adds new section 2832 to the public health law
to establish requirements governing the closure of nursing homes,
including:
- Requiring operators to provide at least 90 days written notice to the
Department of Health and submit a closure plan for approval that
includes timelines and procedures for notifying residents, assessing
their needs, facilitating transfers, and maintaining compliance until
all residents are relocated.
- Requires that notice of a proposed closure be provided to local offi-
cials, community boards, and the general public and allows such public
officials to review the proposed closure, hold meetings, and make non-
binding recommendations to the commissioner regarding approval, modifi-
cation, or rejection of the closure plan.
- Requires that approved closure plans include provisions for the safe-
keeping and transfer of patient medical records and for ensuring conti-
nuity of care for residents, requires public posting of such plans, and
establishes penalties for noncompliance.
- Clarifies that the Health Commissioner retains authority to order or
expedite closures when necessary to protect patient safety.
Section two of the bill sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, the closure process for nursing homes lacks adequate mech-
anisms to ensure that residents, local officials, and communities are
adequately informed and protected before the closure occurs. There is
no clear requirement for advanced public notice, community engagement,
or a comprehensive, state-approved plan to safely transition residents
and preserve continuity of care.
For example, the closure of Rivington House, a nursing home on
Manhattan's Lower East Side, became known through news reports and
rumors rather than a formal, transparent process. The lack of structured
oversight and communication contributed to confusion, public concern,
and loss of care capacity in the surrounding community.
This legislation establishes requirements for nursing home closures,
including advance notice to the Department of Health and local stake-
holders, the submission and approval of a closure plan, and opportu-
nities for community input. It also ensures that residents are safely
relocated, medical records are properly maintained, and continuity of
care is preserved. By creating a transparent and accountable process,
the bill strengthens oversight and helps protect both residents and the
communities that rely on these facilities.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2025: S4275 (Kavanagh) - Passed Senate
2024: S2984 (Kavanagh) / A3703 (Epstein) - Vetoed
2023: S2984 (Kavanagh) - Reported to Senate Floor A3703 (Epstein) -
Reported to Assembly Floor
2022: S2847 (Kavanagh) - Referred to Health 2021: S2847 (Kavanagh) -
Referred to Health
2020: S4861 (Kavanagh) - Referred to Health A0710 (Niou) - Passed Assem-
bly
2019: S4861 (Kavanagh) - Referred to Health A0710 (Niou) - Reported to
Assembly Floor
2018: S7108 (Kavanagh) - Referred to Health A4395 (Niou) - Reported to
Ways and Means
2017: S2036A (Squadron) - Defeated in Health A4395 (Niou) - Reported to
Ways and Means
2016: S8208 (Squadron) - Referred to Rules
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal fiscal impact to the state and none to local governments.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect sixty days after it shall become a law, and
shall apply to all closures of nursing homes occurring ninety days or
more after such effective date, Effective immediately, the addition,
amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the
implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be
made and completed on or before such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
11326
IN ASSEMBLY
May 11, 2026
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Lee) -- read
once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the closure of
nursing homes
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 2833 to read as follows:
3 § 2833. Closure of nursing homes. 1. In the event that an operator of
4 a nursing home elects to close the facility, the following shall apply:
5 (a) The operator shall submit written notice to the department at
6 least ninety days prior to the anticipated date of closure of the nurs-
7 ing home.
8 (b) The written notice shall include a proposed plan for closure of
9 the nursing home. The plan shall be subject to approval by the commis-
10 sioner, and shall include timetables for all steps in the closure proc-
11 ess and descriptions of the procedures and actions the operator will
12 take to:
13 (i) notify residents of the closure, including provisions for termi-
14 nation of admission agreements and involuntary discharge;
15 (ii) assess the needs and preferences of individual residents;
16 (iii) assist residents in locating and transferring to appropriate
17 alternative settings; and
18 (iv) maintain compliance with the provisions of this section and other
19 applicable laws and regulations until all residents have relocated.
20 (c) Copies of the written notice shall be concurrently delivered to:
21 (i) the chief executive officer and the presiding officer of the local
22 legislative body of each county, city, town or village in which the
23 nursing home is located, except a county wholly contained within a city;
24 (ii) the nursing home's residents' council; and
25 (iii) in a city with a population of one million or more people, the
26 community board in whose district the nursing home is located. Copies
27 of the written notice shall also be made available to the public on the
28 department's website, and the facility's website if it otherwise main-
29 tains a website.
30 (d) Such officer, legislative body or board may:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08071-03-6
A. 11326 2
1 (i) convene closed or public meetings, upon notice to the department
2 and the nursing home operator, that must conclude within forty-five days
3 of the operator's proposed notice of closure;
4 (ii) examine any information relevant to needs of the community and
5 the impact of the closure on stakeholders; and
6 (iii) make a non-binding recommendation to the commissioner as to
7 whether the application for closure should be approved, modified or
8 rejected.
9 2. (a) The operator shall take no action to close the nursing home
10 prior to approval by the commissioner of the plan for closure.
11 (b) The operator shall not close the nursing home until all residents
12 of the nursing home have transferred to appropriate alternative
13 settings.
14 (c) The operator shall not increase the amount of any fees or charges
15 or institute any new fees or charges payable by the residents of the
16 nursing home, their families or their insurance companies, if any, prior
17 to approval of the plan for closure.
18 (d) The operator shall not accept new residents, admissions, or trans-
19 fers for the nursing home, after the operator has submitted written
20 notice to the department that the operator intends to close the nursing
21 home, unless (i) each such new resident, admission or transfer is noti-
22 fied prior to acceptance of the intended date of closure, or (ii) the
23 operator's election to close the nursing home has been abandoned.
24 3. The commissioner may approve, modify or reject the proposed plan
25 for closure and may impose conditions on any approval. An approved plan
26 for closure shall:
27 (a) specify any modifications the department requires to the proposed
28 plan for closure;
29 (b) provide for the maintenance, storage, safekeeping, and ultimate
30 disposition of patient medical records and provide for transfer of or
31 access to such records to the patients, their treating health care
32 providers, or lawful representatives; and
33 (c) include a plan to ensure that arrangements will be made for
34 continued care that meets each resident's social, emotional and health
35 needs.
36 4. The department shall make a full copy of an approved closure plan
37 available to the public on the department's website and shall update the
38 posting should the plans change.
39 5. Failure of a nursing home operator to comply with any provision of
40 this section or the terms of any agreement with or conditions imposed by
41 the commissioner under this section shall result in the imposition of
42 penalties under this chapter.
43 6. Nothing in this section shall prevent the commissioner from order-
44 ing or expediting temporary or permanent closure of a nursing home if
45 the commissioner deems such closure necessary to protect the health and
46 safety of the residents due to the operator's financial distress,
47 mismanagement, or malfeasance, or other factors that cause the operator
48 to be unable to safely operate the nursing home.
49 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
50 become a law, and shall apply to all closures of nursing homes occurring
51 ninety days or more after such effective date. Effective immediately,
52 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
53 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
54 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
