Enacts the lab services accessibility act

Latest action Apr 28, 2026

Enacts the lab services accessibility act.

Not chosen yet

Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A482, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Amends the Public Health Law.

Committee

Health · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Health · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

Section 1 provides the short title of this act to be known as the "Lab Services Accessibility Act." Section 2 amends section 585 of the Public Health Law by creating a new definition of "health services facilitator" to include persons or enti- ties that facilitate the provision of health or health-related services, including but not limited to, any person or entity who participates in the initiation, coordination, payment, delivery, or follow-up of health or health-related services. It also creates a definition of a public health program including but not limited to situations where the demand for testing may be increased. Section 3 amends subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 586 of the Public Health Law. Subdivision 2 is amended to add paragraph j, which exempts nonprofit clinics, other health care providers, or health services faci- litators whose purpose is the promotion of public health from Section 586 subdivision 1 of the Public Health Law. This would exempt health services facilitators who ordered or facilitated clinical laboratory services, including the testing and analysis of self-collected samples in a non-healthcare setting from the current requirement that the patient be the payor for such services. Subdivision 3 changes the enti- ty responsible for promulgating rules and regulations governing the operation of clinical laboratories from the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) to the Department of Health (DOH). Section 4 sets the effective date.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateApr 28, 2026Result: passed
(38) (20) (0) (5)
Vote: Committee vote · Health
Senate HealthApr 21, 2026Result: passed
(11) (4) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateJun 6, 2025Result: passed
(37) (16) (0) (10)
Vote: Committee vote · Health
Senate HealthMay 13, 2025Result: passed
(11) (2) (0) (1)

Cosponsors

Albert A. Stirpe, Dana Levenberg and 4 more on Agora

Democratic6

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Gustavo Rivera says this is needed

Diseases such as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other sexually transmitted infections remain serious public health threats in New York, and without readily available testing, vulnerable communities, such as the LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, and lower income New Yorkers face detrimental health consequences. New York's current lab services billing law requires that clinical labo- ratories directly bill and receive payment from the recipients of their lab services with limited exceptions. The law is intended to protect recipients of lab services from increased prices due to fee-splitting by physicians with clinical laboratories, whereby physicians would markup patient lab services bills and pass the increased price onto patients. However, the current law extends beyond its consumer protection purpose by inadvertently stifling public health partnerships between clinical laboratories and healthcare nonprofit organizations as well as prevent- ing pharmacies and others from offering patients self-collected testing kits. Self-collected testing typically involves the collection of small biological samples (such as saliva, urine, or blood) that are sent to a laboratory to be analyzed for the presence of specific markers or indi- cators of disease. Self-collecting testing provides those who face geographic and financial barriers, experience social stigma and pres- sure, or have privacy concerns about testing in a medical facility with the diagnostic care they need. Ultimately, this legislation would further social equity and accessibility in the clinical laboratory services arena and bolster New York's public health surveillance systems.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Apr 28, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Apr 28, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Apr 28, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
NY Assembly
Apr 27, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Apr 22, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate

Show full history (14 earlier events)

Apr 21, 2026
1ST Report CAL.806
1ST REPORT CAL.806
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
NY Assembly
Jun 6, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Jun 6, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Jun 6, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
NY Assembly
May 15, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
May 14, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
May 13, 2025
1ST Report CAL.1085
1ST REPORT CAL.1085
NY Senate
May 5, 2025
Amend and Recommit to Health
AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HEALTH
NY Senate
May 1, 2025
Amend and Recommit to Health
AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HEALTH
NY Assembly
Jan 27, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
NY Senate
Jan 8, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
NY Assembly

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 1, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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