S353

The New York State Senate passed Senate Print 353, an act to amend the Public Health Law, on a 62-0 roll call vote. The bill's passage came after the chamber rejected an amendment proposed by Sen. Borrello that would have required Senate approval of the state's Medicaid director and mandated comprehensive audits of the Medicaid system. Acting President Persaud ruled the amendment nongermane under Senate Rule 6, Section 4B, and an appeal of that ruling failed on a 22-0 show of hands vote. During debate on the appeal, Sen. Borrello argued that the amendment was necessary to address what he characterized as massive fraud and waste in New York's Medicaid system. He cited estimates that 3 million ineligible recipients receive Medicaid benefits, potentially costing taxpayers $10 billion annually, and noted that Medicaid now accounts for $115 billion of the state's $260 billion budget. Borrello referenced a report by the Empire Center documenting a "Medicaid Missing Million" of individuals whose eligibility could not be verified. Despite his arguments, the Senate upheld the chair's ruling that the amendment was outside the scope of the underlying bill. The measure was subsequently restored to the noncontroversial calendar by consent and passed unanimously.

The New York State Senate passed Senate Print 353, sponsored by Senator Rivera, which amends the Public Health Law. The bill received 61 affirmative votes with no recorded opposition in a roll call vote. The measure takes effect January 1. No debate was recorded during floor consideration.