Establishes the COVID-19 pandemic response study commission to conduct a study of the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; provides for the repeal of such commission upon the completion of the commission's final report.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2059
SPONSOR: Gonzalez-Rojas TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a
COVID-19 pandemic response study commission; and providing for the
repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Establishes a COVID-19 pandemic response study commission.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 establishes definitions of "COVID-19 pandemic" and "commis-
sion" in public health law section 2180.
Section 2 amends public health law by adding a new section 2184. It
recognizes that COVID-19 hit New York particularly hard by claiming more
75,000 lives, and that the state has a duty to create a commission to
carefully review the events of the coronavirus pandemic to be able to
provide the best possible public health protection for New Yorkers going
forward. It establishes a pandemic response study commission that will
have sixteen voting members:
*three each appointed by Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader;
*one each appointed by Assembly and Senate minority leaders;
*eight members, including the chair, appointed by the governor, includ-
ing one of whom shall be designated by the governor as the chair of the
commission
The commissioners of the Department of Health and the Department of
Homeland Security and Emergency Services (or their designees) would sit
as non-voting, ex officio members.
Appointees will be selected based on their expertise or experience in
relevant fields, including health care, public health, emergency
procurement, emergency management, labor and business and at least one
member will have particular expertise or experience in addressing the
healthcare needs of the vulnerable communities who were hit hardest by
COVID-19. The commission's proceedings and operations will be subject to
the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information laws.
The commission will have a mandate to:
*Hold initial hearings throughout the state with invited experts and
participants, as well as at least one hearing open to general public
comment;
*Investigate all aspects of the state's pandemic response;
*Issue a draft report of its findings;
*Hold hearings on the draft report; and
*Publish a final report, including factual findings and recommended
legislation and policy changes.
The commission will have authority to:
*Hire employees and execute contracts;
*Access state records and documents, including confidential materials;
*Interview witnesses and, where necessary, issue subpoenas; and
*Conduct or solicit scientific research The legislation calls for
appointment of the commission within 90 days, issuance of its draft
report within one year and publication of its final findings within 18
months.
Section 3 sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably been one of the greatest crises to
impact New Yorkers in a generation. To date, almost 80,000 New Yorkers
have lost their lives to the pandemic making it the deadliest disaster
in state history. Given the massive loss of life, the state has an obli-
gation to have an independent commission review what went wrong, why,
and what can be done to prevent it from happening again in the future,
just as the National Transportation Safety Board does after a plane
crash.
The historic moment demands something more - the establishing of a
special commission of outside experts with subpoena powers and independ-
ence, a composition including a broad segment of stakeholders with
public hearings and a requirement to report its findings. This will
allow the commission to be given full access to data and testimony, free
rein to follow the evidence, and a mandate for a report to improve
future pandemic responses.
PRIOR
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023: Introduced. Referred to Government Operations Committee
09/27/2023 referred to governmental operations
01/03/2024 referred to governmental operations
01/17/2024 amend and recommit to governmental operations
01/17/2024 print number 8053a
06/04/2024 amend (t) and recommit to governmental operations
06/04/2024 print number 8053b
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 14 deemed
repealed upon the issuance of the commission's final report as 15
required pursuant to subdivision 3 of section 2184 of the public health
16 law, as added by section two of this act; provided, however, that the
17 commissioner of health or the commissioner of the division of home-
land 18 security and emergency services shall notify the legislative
bill draftl9 ing commission upon the occurrence of the delivery of the
report or the 20 continuance of such commission provided for in subdivi-
sion 3 of section 21 2184 of the public health law as added by section
two of this act in 22 order that the commission may maintain an accurate
and timely effective 23 data base of the official text of the laws of
the state of New York in 24 furtherance of effectuating the provisions
of section 44 of the legisla25 tive law and section 70-b of the public
officers law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2059
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, PAULIN, LEVENBERG, JENSEN, KIM,
HEVESI, SIMON, MAHER, GALLAGHER, WEPRIN, DAVILA, K. BROWN, BRABENEC,
RAGA, EPSTEIN, SHRESTHA, FORREST, SIMONE, MANKTELOW, SLATER, GALLAHAN,
GIGLIO, LEMONDES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Govern-
mental Operations
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a
COVID-19 pandemic response study commission; and providing for the
repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 2180 of the public health law is amended by adding
2 two new subdivisions 14 and 15 to read as follows:
3 14. "COVID-19 pandemic" means the pandemic of COVID-19 beginning in or
4 about February, two thousand twenty.
5 15. "Commission" means the COVID-19 pandemic response study commission
6 established pursuant to section twenty-one hundred eighty-four of this
7 title.
8 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2184 to
9 read as follows:
10 § 2184. COVID-19 pandemic response study commission. 1. (a) There is
11 hereby established in the department a COVID-19 pandemic response study
12 commission to study the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
13 (b) The commission shall consist of sixteen voting members as follows,
14 after receiving the recommendations received by the commissioner pursu-
15 ant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision: eight shall be appointed by
16 the governor, one of whom shall be designated by the governor as the
17 chair of the commission; three shall be appointed by the temporary pres-
18 ident of the senate; three shall be appointed by the speaker of the
19 assembly; one shall be appointed by the senate minority leader; and one
20 shall be appointed by the assembly minority leader. At least half of the
21 appointees of each appointing officer, respectively, shall be chosen
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03410-01-5
A. 2059 2
1 from the recommendations of the commissioner pursuant to paragraph (c)
2 of this subdivision. The commissioner and the commissioner of the divi-
3 sion of homeland security and emergency services, or their respective
4 designees, shall be ex officio non-voting members of the commission. If
5 a vacancy occurs in the membership of the commission, it shall be filled
6 by appointment by the respective appointing officer.
7 (c) The commissioner shall consult with the commissioner of the divi-
8 sion of homeland security and emergency services, the county health
9 commissioners, the New York city commissioner of health and mental
10 hygiene, the local health officers, and the deans of the schools of
11 public health in the state, to solicit recommendations (which may
12 include themselves) for appointment to the commission. The commissioner
13 shall advise the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the
14 speaker of the assembly, the senate minority leader and the assembly
15 minority leader of the recommendations the commissioner receives pursu-
16 ant to this paragraph.
17 (d) A majority of the members appointed to the commission shall
18 constitute a quorum to hold a meeting and to conduct official business.
19 The commission shall act by the majority vote of the members appointed
20 to the commission.
21 (e) All members of the commission shall be selected by the appointing
22 officials based on the member's expertise and experience in relevant
23 fields such as health care, public health, emergency procurement, emer-
24 gency management, labor and business. At least one member shall have
25 expertise or experience in addressing the health care needs of under-
26 served communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
27 (f) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their
28 services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
29 incurred in the performance of their duties under this section. Members
30 of the commission shall not be precluded from holding other state or
31 local government office or employment.
32 (g) The commission may request and shall receive the assistance of any
33 federal, state or local government official or entity in carrying out
34 its functions. The commission may receive financial support for carrying
35 out its functions from any federal, state or non-profit entity.
36 2. (a) The commission shall study the response to the COVID-19 pandem-
37 ic by state and local governments, public entities, health care insti-
38 tutions and providers, educational institutions, other institutions and
39 entities, and the public, including, but not limited to: hospitals,
40 nursing homes, jails, prisons, other secure facilities, and other
41 congregate care settings; the shutdown and re-openings of educational
42 institutions; policies and practices relating to employers, employees
43 and consumers; relationships among state, federal and local government
44 officials and entities; and effective communication and sharing of data
45 with the public.
46 (b) The commission shall conduct appropriate studies and public hear-
47 ings, including one or more hearings on its preliminary report or
48 reports.
49 (c) The commission shall issue one or more preliminary reports of its
50 findings. The commission shall issue the first preliminary report within
51 one year after its initial meeting. The preliminary report or reports
52 shall be posted on the department's website.
53 (d) The commission shall publish a final report of its findings within
54 eighteen months of its initial meeting, which shall be published on the
55 department's website.
A. 2059 3
1 (e) The commission's proceedings shall be subject to articles six and
2 seven of the public officers law.
3 (f) The commission shall have the authority to hire employees and
4 execute contracts in exercising its functions.
5 (g) The commission may conduct and solicit research and data-gathering
6 as it deems necessary, consistent with applicable law.
7 (h) For the accomplishment of its purposes, the commission shall have
8 access to state records and documents, including confidential materials,
9 and shall be able to interview witnesses, and issue subpoenas. The
10 commission shall protect the confidentiality of individual patient
11 information.
12 3. The commission shall expire and be deemed repealed sixty days after
13 it issues its final report, provided that the governor, by executive
14 order, may continue the existence of the commission and its functions
15 for one or more fixed periods. If the governor continues the existence
16 of the commission, the commission may issue additional reports.
17 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
18 deemed repealed upon the issuance of the commission's final report as
19 required pursuant to subdivision 3 of section 2184 of the public health
20 law, as added by section two of this act; provided, however, that the
21 commissioner of health or the commissioner of the division of homeland
22 security and emergency services shall notify the legislative bill draft-
23 ing commission upon the occurrence of the delivery of the report or the
24 continuance of such commission provided for in subdivision 3 of section
25 2184 of the public health law as added by section two of this act in
26 order that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective
27 data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in
28 furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legisla-
29 tive law and section 70-b of the public officers law.
