STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3213 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 23, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the transporta- tion of eligible persons residing in a rural area The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 365-h of the social services law 2 is amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows: 3 (c) Where the commissioner of health elects to assume such responsi- 4 bility from a local social services district, and after any required 5 federal approval, authorized transportation for an eligible person, 6 whose originating location exists within a county defined as a rural 7 area pursuant to subdivision seven of section four hundred eighty-one of 8 the executive law, shall be assigned to an existing public transporta- 9 tion system, as defined in subdivision one of section eighteen-b of the 10 transportation law, if that system provides an appropriate, available 11 and least expensive mode of transportation. 12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 13 have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to subdivision 14 4 of section 365-h of the social services law, made by section one of 15 this act, shall not affect the expiration and repeal of such section, 16 and shall expire and be deemed repealed therewith. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06274-01-5