Bills affecting Parent / guardian in New York — 2026 session

Enacts the "pediatric palliative care act" to establish pediatric palliative care centers to provide palliative care to individuals who are under twenty-one years of age, have been diagnosed with a chronic, complex, life-threatening illness that is expected to shorten their life expectancy, and is not expected to survive past twenty-one years of age.

Provides for paid family leave after a stillbirth.

Provides practical support for access to abortion care including, but not limited to, reimbursement for ground and air transportation, lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, and doula support.

Directs the commissioner of health to establish or approve an enhanced rate methodology for pediatric practices that are partnered with the HealthySteps program.

Directs the department of health to establish and administer a program for the certification, operation, and oversight of two prescribed pediatric extended care centers to provide supportive services to medically stable and medically complex children who require continual care.

Provides for an income tax credit of $1500 and related supports for retired childcare workers who re-enter the childcare workforce for at least 6 months in a year.

Includes certain persons engaged in a professional or teaching capacity in or for a religious, charitable or educational institution as employees for purposes of eligibility for paid family leave.

Grants family leave benefits to persons who perform artistic and cultural work, including but not limited to, artistic and performing personnel, creative and design personnel, technical and production personnel, and front-of-house support personnel engaged in the production or operation of live theatrical or artistic performances.

Approves notice and proof of disability or proof of need for family leave, or proof of disability for a special cross-bow permit, from an attending nurse practitioner.

Reimburses counties who have purchased or will purchase document management software designed specifically for the child welfare industry.

Relates to paid family leave and bereavement for fetal death, still birth, and an infant being medically not viable to survive.

Directs the office of children and family services to conduct a statewide needs assessment to identify any unmet needs, including, but not limited to, housing, mental health access, financial assistance, childcare, and respite care access for kinship caregivers.

Relates to the Chisholm Chance Act; creates centers of pregnant and birthing persons and childcare services in Kings county and Bronx county to coordinate community-based organizations and community health workers to combat the pregnant and birthing persons health crisis.

Directs the commissioner of health and commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities to jointly promulgate rules and regulations requiring pediatric health care providers to screen children beginning at the age of 12 months for autism spectrum disorders during each wellness and preventative care examination and to conduct such screening annually until such child reaches age six, and thereafter at eleven and fourteen years of age.

Includes both the birth family and the foster family of children in foster care, and other families receiving child welfare services from the authorized agency or the local departments of social services in the case of authorized agencies in the definition of family for purposes of services provided by voluntary foster care agency health facilities.

Requires health insurance policies to cover costs for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome rehabilitation treatment.

Exempts aid derived from funding from childcare stabilization grants, childcare desert funding, or other non-recurring funding, issued by the office of children and family services to childcare providers from income for the purpose of determining aid provided pursuant to public assistance programs.

Expands the definition of "family leave" to include persons recovering from a stillbirth.

Directs the commissioner of the office of children and family services to establish a Consumer Directed Childcare Pilot Program for eligible families, within amounts appropriated therefor, in up to five counties with populations between 160,000 and 300,000.

Guarantees localities the ability to use state funds to provide public benefits to non-citizens, including prevention services, adoption subsidy, kinship guardianship assistance, after-care services for youth and families involved with child welfare, child care assistance, and all other public services and benefits.