Provides practical support for access to abortion care including, but not limited to, reimbursement for ground and air transportation, lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2137
SPONSOR: Gonzalez-Rojas TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to providing practi-
cal support for access to abortion care
PURPOSE:
To ensure that those who need access to comprehensive health care choic-
es are provided practical support to actually access the services.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends the existing "reproductive freedom and equity grant program" to
ensure that those seeking healthcare may be provided practical support
in the form of financial assistance for the means to receive care such
as transportation, 9tc.
JUSTIFICATION:
With the Supreme Court overturning the right t9 abortion care, New York
must respond to the dramatically shifting national landscape of abortion
access. This bill adds to the existing Reproductive Freedom Equity Fund
by adding support for the practical support needs for individuals facing
barriers to abortion care.
Abortion is essential health care, a service that one in four women of
reproductive age will obtain in their lifetime. In 2019, New York
affirmed the right of an individual to access abortion care here in New
York. However, we know, a right is meaningless if one cannot exercise
it. This legislation is a necessary extension of the legislature's work
to protect the right to abortion here in New York.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To Be Arrived Upon.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2137
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, PAULIN, ANDERSON, BICHOTTE HERME-
LYN, BORES, BRONSON, BURDICK, R. CARROLL, CLARK, CRUZ, CUNNINGHAM,
DAVILA, DE LOS SANTOS, DINOWITZ, EPSTEIN, FORREST, GALLAGHER, GIBBS,
GLICK, HEVESI, JACOBSON, KELLES, KIM, LAVINE, LEE, LEVENBERG, LUCAS,
LUNSFORD, MAMDANI, MITAYNES, OTIS, RAGA, RAJKUMAR, REYES, RIVERA,
ROSENTHAL, ROZIC, SAYEGH, SEAWRIGHT, SEPTIMO, SHIMSKY, SHRESTHA,
SIMON, SIMONE, TAPIA, TAYLOR, WALKER, WEPRIN, ZINERMAN -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing practi-
cal support for access to abortion care
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 2599-bb-1 of the public health
2 law, as added by section 1 of part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of 2024,
3 is amended to read as follows:
4 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the follow-
5 ing meanings:
6 (a) "Abortion" shall mean the termination of pregnancy pursuant to
7 section twenty-five hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article.
8 (b) "Health care services" shall mean the range of care related to the
9 provision of abortion.
10 (c) "Practical support" shall mean financial assistance to an individ-
11 ual to enable access to abortion care.
12 (d) "Program" shall mean the reproductive freedom and equity grant
13 program established pursuant to subdivision two of this section.
14 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 2599-bb-1 of the public health law is
15 amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
16 (c) Address practical support needs of individuals accessing abortion
17 care for individuals who lack ability to pay for such support. Funds
18 may be awarded to support practical support needs including, but not
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00206-01-5
A. 2137 2
1 limited to, reimbursement for ground and air transportation, lodging,
2 meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support.
3 § 3. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section
4 or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent juris-
5 diction to be invalid and after exhaustion of all further judicial
6 review, the judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remain-
7 der thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause,
8 sentence, paragraph, section or part of this act directly involved in
9 the controversy in which the judgment shall have been rendered.
10 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
