Bill > A01176

This bill establishes a temporary state commission to investigate and study the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on nursing homes in New York. The commission will consist of five members appointed by key state leaders, including the attorney general, senate and assembly leaders from both majority and minority parties, all of whom must have backgrounds in healthcare or health policy. The commission's primary objectives are to examine the measures taken by nursing homes during the pandemic, assess the effectiveness of those measures in reducing COVID-19 spread, analyze increased death rates among nursing home residents, evaluate the effectiveness of existing state and federal pandemic response laws and regulations, and develop recommendations for future pandemic responses. The commission will have broad investigative powers, including the ability to hold hearings, request data from state agencies, administer oaths, and subpoena witnesses. Members will serve without compensation, and the commission is required to submit a comprehensive report with findings and legislative recommendations to state leadership within one year of its first meeting. The bill will automatically expire one year after the report's submission, effectively creating a time-limited investigative body focused on understanding and improving nursing home pandemic responses.