NYS 2025 Legislative Session – The Latest Updates
The Situation Report | June 2, 2025
This year’s legislative session is scheduled to conclude on June 12, 2025. With just two weeks left, developments continue with HCANYS key legislation and more potential activity is anticipated in the remaining seven session days.
Last week’s legislative update focused on HCANYS key legislation that is the subject of advocacy efforts. This week’s report includes a further update on HCANYS key legislation as well as an overview of other relevant legislation affecting the home care sector. More detail is below.
General Session Overview:
After a long and protracted state budget season, the Legislature has started to run through legislation at a quicker pace. Thus far, NYS legislators have introduced over 17,000 bills in 2025. Over 700 bills have passed the Senate so far, and over 400 bills have passed the Assembly so far.
Of course, in order to become law, a bill must pass BOTH the Senate and Assembly (and then be approved by the Governor). At this time, about 130 bills have passed both the Senate and Assembly, but historically about 700-800 bills pass both houses of the Legislature each session. Therefore, if history is any guide, then there is still much work to be done by the NYS Legislature over the next two weeks.
Additionally, because of the monthlong delay in reaching a State Budget agreement, there has been concern about whether there is enough time for the Legislature to conclude its business by the June 12 deadline. In response, the Assembly has signaled that it may extend the current legislative session until June 18, while the Senate indicates that it believes it will be able to conclude its business by the scheduled session end date of June 12.
Another unknown at this time for the State Legislature is what will happen at the federal level. With various federal actions potentially affecting the recently enacted State Budget, rumors have already started to circulate that there could be a special session of the NYS Legislature later this year. More will likely be known about this possibility as federal activity become more concrete in the coming weeks and months.
Here in Albany, more activity on the bills listed below is anticipated in the remaining days of the legislative session. At the time of this report, Legislative Committee meeting agendas have not yet been released for the week of June 2, so it is possible that more developments could be on the horizon in the coming days. However, it is typical at this point in the legislative session for most committee activity to wind down. HCANYS will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.
Updates on HCANYS-written State Legislation:
State Aid for Home Health Community Need - S.6981 (Webb) / A.1493-A (Paulin)
Written by HCANYS and our member workgroup, this bill amends the public health law to provide for an annual state aid program for home health agencies to meet community need. The bill is currently in the Senate and Assembly Health Committees. HCANYS is in active negotiations with both the Senate and Assembly to address perceived issues with the bill text with an eye toward refining the bill to make it more palatable with legislative leaders. At the time of this report, the Assembly sponsor has already amended the bill in accordance with HCANYS discussions. In addition, a meeting with the Senate sponsor is scheduled for June 2 to continue negotiations.
CHHA Episodic Rate - S.7052 (Webb) / A.7013-B (Paulin)
Written by HCANYS, VNSHealth, and our member workgroup, this bill amends the CHHA EPS Medicaid rate methodology to authorize adjustments in the rates for costs (such as workforce, technology, other) not reflected in the reimbursable base year. It also makes the EPS rate method available for payor-provider use in rate setting for managed care and for non-Medicaid home care payors. The Senate version of this bill is currently in the Senate Finance Committee. The Assembly version of the bill has been amended to address just the “EPS rate availability” portion of the proposal (i.e., removing the EPS rate adjustment section) in an effort to ameliorate Assembly questions as to whether the bill would have state budget impacts. This amended version of the Assembly bill is in the Assembly Health Committee.
Mental Health/HomeCare Collaboration - S.997 (Brouk)
Written by HCANYS, this bill allows regulatory, procedural and reimbursement flexibility to facilitate collaborative care by mental health and home health agencies partnering to deliver seamless, coordinated care to individuals with co-occurring conditions. HCANYS has issued a memorandum in support of this legislation which is currently in the Senate Mental Health Committee. HCANYS continues discussion with the Legislature and has conducted calls with both the State Office of Mental Health and State Department of Health to discuss the legislation.
Community Medicine & Paramedicine (CMPM) Program Support
Written by HCANYS, this proposal ensures that CMPM pilot programs currently being conducted in seven regions of the state under a Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant to HCANYS be allowed to operate with regulatory flexibility similar to the scope provided for community paramedicine programs under separate state law extended in this year’s State Budget. HCANYS continues active discussion of this proposal with the Chairs of the Health Committees in the Senate and Assembly.
HC/Hospice Workforce Labor Market Analysis A.3354 (Bronson)
Written by HCANYS, this bill requires an analysis of the competitive labor market for home care and hospice. The bill also requires recommendations to be made as to the level of reimbursement needed in the system to enable home care and hospice to recruit and retain sufficient staff to meet the community’s needs. The bill is in the Assembly Labor Committee. There has been no change in the status of this bill since the last issue of the Situation Report.
LHCSA Statistical Report - S.7531 (C. Ryan) / A.7909 (Lunsford)
Written by HCANYS, this bill improves the process for filing the LCHSA Statistical Report with the NYS Department of Health. The bill advanced through the Senate Health Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar. HCANYS continues to work toward getting this bill to a vote of the full Senate before the end of session. In the Assembly, the bill is in the Health Committee and HCANYS advocacy continues there as well.
Home Care Educational Materials for Veterans – S.7786-A (Addabbo) / A.7627-A (Kay)
Written by HCANYS, this bill authorizes the State Department of Veterans' Services to consult and collaborate with the federal department of veterans affairs, the department of health, the state office for the aging, and other HCBS experts (providers and associations) to develop educational materials for veterans and their families about accessibility to home and community-based services. This bill passed the Assembly (143-0) and is currently in the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. HCANYS is advocating on the Senate side to gain additional sponsors to help move this bill along.
Updates on Other Key State Legislation:
Hospital-HomeCare-Physician-EMS Collaboration Model - S.5333 (Rivera) / A.1309 (Paulin)
This bill authorizes the addition EMS services to Hospital-HomeCare-Physician Collaboration Program for a jointly partnered, collaborative community medicine and paramedicine service opportunity. This bill advanced through the Senate Health Committee on 5/28 and is now on the Senate Calendar. In the Assembly, the bill remains in the Assembly Health Committee.
LHCSA RFO Repeal - S.7874 (Rivera) / A.8137 (Paulin)
Newly introduced bill that repeals the section of law that would require authorization for a LHCSA to enroll as a provider under the Medicaid program. HCANYS has strongly opposed this underlying “RFO” law from the outset, and supports this newly introduced bill to repeal it. In the Senate, the bill advanced to the Senate Finance Committee on 5/28. In the Assembly, the bill is in the Health Committee.
Restriction on Consecutive Nurse Hours - S.7994 (Ramos) / A.8615 (Bronson)
Newly introduced bill that adds home care visits to existing provisions of law prohibiting health care employers from requiring a nurse to work more than such nurse's regularly scheduled work hours, including regularly scheduled home care visits. This bill is in the Senate and Assembly Labor Committees. HCANYS issued opposition memos to this bill in the past and is preparing a memo in opposition again this year.
CDPAP SFI - S.1189 (Rivera) / A.2735 (Stirpe)
Previously introduced legislation to replace the Single Statewide FI program with a State Licensure program allowing multiple FIs. This bill has advanced to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill has 56 sponsors in the Senate. In the Assembly, the bill has 39 sponsors and is in the Assembly Health Committee. It is uncertain if there will be further movement on this bill or on any other CDPAP/SFI legislation, especially since the federal government has now launched an investigation into the SFI transition process. HCANYS is continuing to work with both houses of the Legislature and the Executive to improve support for the CDPAP.
CDPAP SFI - S.7954 (Rivera) / A.8355 (Paulin)
Newly introduced bill that authorizes additional entities to serve as FIs in NYS. Bill is in the Senate and Assembly Health Committees. The bill has 17 sponsors in the Senate and 37 sponsors in the Assembly. HCANYS is continuing to work with both houses of the Legislature and the Executive to improve support for the CDPAP.
Statewide Preceptor Stipend Program – S.4451 (Ashby) / A.2331 (McDonald)
This bill establishes a $5M preceptor stipend program for preceptor clinicians that are accepted into the program and requires that preceptors provide instruction in a clinical preceptorship. The amount of the preceptor stipend in the legislation is $5000. HCANYS supports this innovative legislation.
Capital District Preceptor Stipend Pilot Project – S.5660 (Fahy) / A.6616 (McDonald)
Similar to the bill above, this legislation establishes a preceptor stipend pilot program for New York’s Capital Region. HCANYS supports this innovative legislation.
Aid-in-Dying – S.138 (Hoylman-Sigal) / A.136 (Paulin)
This bill provides for the ability of mentally competent, terminally ill patients to request medication for the purpose of hastening the patient's death. The bill passed the Assembly (81-67) and is in the Senate Health Committee. The bill has 25 sponsors in the Senate and it has been reported that Senate leadership is reviewing the legislation.
Prohibition on For-Profit Hospice – S.3437 (Krueger) / A.565 (Paulin)
This bill prohibits the establishment of new for-profit hospices or increasing the capacity of existing for-profit hospices. The bill has passed both houses of the Legislature, but has not yet been delivered to the Governor for consideration. The same exact bill was vetoed by the Governor back in 2022. It is anticipated that the State Department of Health will be reviewing the legislation and that the Governor’s office will also request input from affected stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.
HCANYS will continue its advocacy efforts in the Legislature as the session starts to wind down. Please stay tuned to HCANYS for more information and updates.