STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6103 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 5, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to require the office of minority health and health disparities prevention to conduct a study on the health impacts of COVID-19 on transgender and non-binary racial and ethnic minorities in New York state The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. 1. The office of minority health and health disparities 2 prevention shall conduct a study on the differential health impacts of 3 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on transgender and non-binary racial 4 and ethnic minorities in New York state. The purpose of the study shall 5 be to: 6 (a) identify COVID-19 statewide and regional rates of infection, 7 hospitalization, recovery and mortality rates for transgender and non- 8 binary racial and ethnic minorities and identify disparities in such 9 rates, and the potential medical, environmental, and system-related 10 factors that may have contributed to such disparities; 11 (b) review the extent to which disparities in COVID-19 infection, 12 hospitalization, recovery and mortality rates for transgender and non- 13 binary racial and ethnic minorities in any geographic area indicate the 14 need to increase access to health care services and availability of 15 disparity mitigation and prevention strategies in that area; 16 (c) identify ways to reduce or eliminate transgender and non-binary 17 racial and ethnic health care discrimination and disparities that 18 contributed to disparities in COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, 19 recovery and mortality rates; and 20 (d) identify the extent to which COVID-19 regulations and/or 21 restrictions led to any disparities in health care treatment for trans- 22 gender and non-binary racial and ethnic minorities. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10588-01-5S. 6103 2 1 2. Within one year after the effective date of this act, the office of 2 minority health and disparities prevention shall prepare and submit to 3 the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the 4 assembly, the minority leader of the senate and the minority leader of 5 the assembly a report containing the study's findings concerning the 6 rates of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, recovery and mortality for 7 transgender and non-binary racial and ethnic disparities in such rates 8 and recommendations for legislative or other actions that can be under- 9 taken to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities and increase 10 access to health care services and disparity mitigation and prevention 11 strategies in the state. 12 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.