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S4306 • 2025

Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting authorizing surgery

Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting authorizing surgery

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Kevin S. Parker
Last action
2026-06-02
Official status
In Assembly Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting authorizing surgery

Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting authorizing surgery Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow a patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting visitation and the authorizing of surgery for a patient in the absence and unavailability of a next-of-kin or nearest relative where the patient has given no specific instructions and becomes unable to execute a health care proxy or make decisions about their health care.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting authorizing surgery Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow a patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting visitation and the authorizing of surgery for a patient in the absence and unavailability of a next-of-kin or nearest relative where the patient has given no specific instructions and becomes unable to execute a health care proxy or make decisions about their health care.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-02 Senate

    PASSED SENATE

  2. 2026-06-02 Senate

    DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

  3. 2026-06-02 Assembly

    REFERRED TO HEALTH

  4. 2026-04-27 Senate

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

  5. 2026-04-22 Senate

    2ND REPORT CAL.

  6. 2026-04-21 Senate

    1ST REPORT CAL.810

  7. 2026-01-07 Senate

    REFERRED TO HEALTH

  8. 2025-06-13 Senate

    COMMITTED TO RULES

  9. 2025-05-01 Senate

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

  10. 2025-04-30 Senate

    2ND REPORT CAL.

  11. 2025-04-29 Senate

    1ST REPORT CAL.890

  12. 2025-02-04 Senate

    REFERRED TO HEALTH

Official Summary Text

Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting authorizing surgery
Requires patient hospital admissions form to allow a patient to designate a domestic partner with the same privileges as a next-of-kin respecting visitation and the authorizing of surgery for a patient in the absence and unavailability of a next-of-kin or nearest relative where the patient has given no specific instructions and becomes unable to execute a health care proxy or make decisions about their health care.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4306

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                    I N  S E N A T E

                                    February 4, 2025
                                       ___________

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

        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  patient  hospital
          admissions  form    and authorization for visitation and surgery to be
          made by domestic partners

          THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section  1.  Section  2805-b  of  the  public health law is amended by
     2  adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
     3    6. THE STAFF OF A GENERAL HOSPITAL SHALL INQUIRE WHETHER  OR  NOT  THE
     4  PERSON  ADMITTED  WISHES TO DESIGNATE A PERSON AS A DOMESTIC PARTNER WHO
     5  IN THE ABSENCE AND UNAVAILABILITY OF A NEXT-OF-KIN OR  NEAREST  RELATIVE
     6  SHALL  HAVE ALL OF THE PRIVILEGES OF A NEXT-OF-KIN RESPECTING VISITATION
     7  AND AUTHORIZATION FOR SURGERY SHOULD THE  PERSON  ADMITTED  SUBSEQUENTLY
     8  BECOME  UNABLE  TO  GRANT  SUCH  AUTHORIZATION AND HAS GIVEN NO SPECIFIC
     9  INSTRUCTIONS, AND BECOMES UNABLE TO EXECUTE A HEALTH-CARE PROXY OR  MAKE
    10  DECISIONS  ABOUT THEIR HEALTH CARE.  SUCH INFORMATION SHALL BE LISTED ON
    11  THE ADMISSIONS FORM. THE STAFF SHALL RESPECT THE WISHES  OF  THE  PERSON
    12  ADMITTED  RESPECTING  SUCH AUTHORIZATION ONLY TO THE SAME EXTENT AS THEY
    13  WOULD FOR A PERSON WHO IS THE NEXT-OF-KIN. PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT NOTH-
    14  ING IN THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE DEEMED TO GRANT A DOMESTIC PARTNER  ANY
    15  GREATER  RIGHTS  OR PRIVILEGES THAN THOSE THAT WOULD BE RECOGNIZED FOR A
    16  NEXT-OF-KIN. PROVIDED, FURTHER, HOWEVER, THAT NOTHING IN  THIS  SUBDIVI-
    17  SION  SHALL  PRECLUDE  THE  USE OF A HEALTH-CARE PROXY OR LIVING WILL OR
    18  BOTH FOR SUCH PURPOSE AND UNLESS REVOKED THE PROVISIONS OF SUCH PROXY OR
    19  LIVING WILL OR BOTH SHALL PREVAIL OVER ANY DESIGNATION MADE ON AN ADMIS-
    20  SIONS FORM PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION.
    21    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    22  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
    23  ment  and/or repeal of any rules or regulations necessary for the imple-
    24  mentation of the foregoing section of this act on its effective date are
    25  authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08293-01-5