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S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
7007
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
March 28, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. BYNOE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to establishing a
mental health first aid training program for licensed cosmetologists
and barbers
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Legislative intent. It shall be the intent of this legisla-
2 ture to promote the general health, safety, and welfare of the residents
3 of the state by requiring beauty professionals who provide services
4 directly to the public to undergo training in the provision of mental
5 health first aid. Beauty professionals interact with the public daily,
6 build relationships with their clients, and have a strong connection to
7 the community they live and work in.
8 It is the judgment of this legislature that prompt and effective first
9 aid for mental illness should be a top priority for the state. Mental
10 health first aid training is customarily an eight-hour course of
11 instruction which educates participants in the methods of effectively
12 recognizing, identifying, understanding and responding to signs and
13 behavioral manifestations of mental illness and substance abuse disor-
14 ders. This legislature recognizes that mental health illnesses and
15 substance abuse disorders often go undetected, and as such, beauty
16 professionals who have frequent contact with the community that they
17 work in should receive mental health first aid training to potentially
18 avert tragedies attributable to suicidal, harmful or aggressive behav-
19 iors related to mental illness, reduce the stigma of mental health
20 issues, and de-escalate and refer individuals who are suffering from a
21 mental illness to receive the medical and emotional care and support
22 they need.
23 § 2. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 408-c
24 to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11184-02-5
S. 7007 2
1 § 408-C. MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING. 1. ALL LICENSEES AND APPLI-
2 CANTS FOR A LICENSE OR RENEWAL PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE SHALL BE
3 REQUIRED TO RECEIVE EIGHT HOURS OF A MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING
4 PROGRAM, AS DETAILED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION.
5 2. THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM SHALL BE AN EIGHT-HOUR
6 COURSE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS EIGHTEEN YEARS AND
7 OLDER IN EFFECTIVE APPROACHES TO ASSISTING SUCH INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING
8 A MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CRISIS OR PROBLEM SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION,
9 PSYCHOSIS, AND ADDICTION. ADDITIONALLY, SUCH PROGRAM SHALL BE DESIGNED
10 TO INCLUDE, BUT, NOT BE LIMITED TO ACCOMPLISHING THE FOLLOWING OBJEC-
11 TIVES: RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF COMMON MENTAL ILLNESSES AND SUBSTANCE
12 ABUSE DISORDERS, DE-ESCALATING CRISIS SITUATIONS SAFELY AND INITIATING
13 TIMELY REFERRAL TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
14 IN THE COMMUNITY. UPON COMPLETION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAIN-
15 ING PROGRAM, SUCH LICENSEE OR APPLICANT SHALL BE ISSUED A CERTIFICATE OF
16 COMPLETION, WHICH SHALL BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR LICENSE.
17 3. ALL NEW LICENSEES AND APPLICANTS FOR A LICENSE OR RENEWAL SHALL BE
18 REQUIRED TO COMPLETE A TRAINING COURSE, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF
19 THIS SECTION, EITHER THROUGH A CERTIFIED ONLINE OR IN-PERSON MENTAL
20 HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM AS DIRECTED BY THE SECRETARY.
21 4. THE SECRETARY SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT
22 AND ADMINISTER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
23 § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 436-a
24 to read as follows:
25 § 436-A. MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING. 1. ALL LICENSEES AND APPLI-
26 CANTS FOR A LICENSE OR RENEWAL PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE SHALL BE
27 REQUIRED TO RECEIVE EIGHT HOURS OF A MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING
28 PROGRAM, AS DETAILED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION.
29 2. THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM SHALL BE AN EIGHT-HOUR
30 COURSE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS EIGHTEEN YEARS AND
31 OLDER IN EFFECTIVE APPROACHES TO ASSISTING SUCH INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING
32 A MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CRISIS OR PROBLEM SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION,
33 PSYCHOSIS, AND ADDICTION. ADDITIONALLY, SUCH PROGRAM SHALL BE DESIGNED
34 TO INCLUDE, BUT, NOT BE LIMITED TO ACCOMPLISHING THE FOLLOWING OBJEC-
35 TIVES: RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF COMMON MENTAL ILLNESSES AND SUBSTANCE
36 ABUSE DISORDERS, DE-ESCALATING CRISIS SITUATIONS SAFELY AND INITIATING
37 TIMELY REFERRAL TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
38 IN THE COMMUNITY. UPON COMPLETION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAIN-
39 ING PROGRAM, SUCH LICENSEE OR APPLICANT SHALL BE ISSUED A CERTIFICATE OF
40 COMPLETION, WHICH SHALL BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR LICENSE.
41 3. ALL NEW LICENSEES AND APPLICANTS FOR A LICENSE OR RENEWAL SHALL BE
42 REQUIRED TO COMPLETE A TRAINING COURSE, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF
43 THIS SECTION, EITHER THROUGH A CERTIFIED ONLINE OR IN-PERSON MENTAL
44 HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAM AS DIRECTED BY THE SECRETARY.
45 4. THE SECRETARY SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT
46 AND ADMINISTER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
47 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
48 have become a law.