S1066A

The New York State Senate voted 61-0 on a motion to reconsider passage of S1066A, an act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law, sponsored by Senator Mayer. The reconsideration motion, offered by Sen. Gianaris, resulted in the bill being restored to the Third Reading Calendar. Following the procedural vote, Sen. Gianaris offered amendments to the bill, which were received by the Acting President. Subsequently, Sen. Lanza, on behalf of Sen. Stec, offered additional amendments on page 30 of the bill. The bills retained their place on the Third Reading Calendar pending further action. The transcript segment does not contain substantive debate on the merits of the legislation.

The New York State Senate passed legislation Tuesday protecting healthcare practitioners who provide reproductive services via telehealth, particularly abortion care to patients in states with restrictive laws. Senate Print 1066A, sponsored by Sen. Mayer, amends the Criminal Procedure Law to shield New York doctors from criminal liability imposed by other states for offering telehealth services. The bill passed 41-22 on a roll call vote. Sen. Mayer, explaining her vote in support, emphasized the legislation strengthens New York's role as a sanctuary for reproductive rights following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision last June, which reversed 50 years of constitutional abortion protections. She noted that 66 clinics in 15 states closed within seven months of Dobbs, and abortion is now unavailable in 14 states. "We are protecting explicitly telehealth and telehealth services in this legislation by protecting New York doctors who provide abortion healthcare to patients living in states with hostile abortion laws," Mayer said. The bill builds on a historic reproductive rights package the Senate passed in June 2022. All 22 votes against the measure came from Republican senators.