Bill > A00755

This bill requires the New York State Department of Health to conduct an annual comprehensive examination of heat-related deaths and heat vulnerability across the state. The bill defines two key types of heat-related deaths: "heat stress deaths" (directly attributed to heat on a death certificate) and "heat-exacerbated deaths" (deaths from existing health conditions worsened by extreme heat). The department must produce a detailed annual report that includes the number of heat stress deaths, estimates of heat-exacerbated deaths, heat vulnerability assessments for each county, demographic information about decedents, and descriptions of the methodological approaches used. The report must be submitted by June 15th, 2026, and annually thereafter, and will be posted on the department's website. The bill mandates that the reports cannot contain personal identifying information and allows for potential collaboration with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in data collection and analysis. Importantly, the bill specifies that statistical models used to estimate heat-related deaths should assess daily temperature as a continuous variable without relying on a specific temperature threshold, ensuring a more nuanced understanding of heat's impact on mortality.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A755