Legislative Bulletin: CCRC Cybersecurity Regulations Exemption Bill Moving in Senate
Senate Insurance Committee to Consider CCRC Cybersecurity Regulations Exemption Bill on Wednesday
Following an extended Memorial Day weekend, lawmakers will return to Albany to kick off the final four weeks of session. On Wednesday, the Senate Insurance Committee will meet to consider A.10486 (Cahill)/S.7940-A (Seward), one of LeadingAge NY’s priority bills that would clarify that the cybersecurity regulations adopted by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) last year do not apply to continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). These regulations require most banks, insurers, and other financial institutions within DFS’s regulatory jurisdiction to protect their customer information from cyberattacks and certify their compliance to DFS annually. LeadingAge NY has pushed back strongly against DFS’s interpretation that CCRCs are considered “Covered Entities,” arguing that the requirements would pose an undue financial and administrative burden on CCRCs and could lead to large increases in resident fees.
Click here to send your legislators a pre-written letter, tweet, or Facebook post urging their support for this important bill and here to review LeadingAge NY’s memo of support.
Action Alert: Urge Your Lawmakers to Co-Sponsor Other Key Legislation
LeadingAge NY continues to urge members to help build momentum for our other key bills by asking their lawmakers to sign on as co-sponsors. With just 13 session days left, we have a very narrow window of time to advance these initiatives. Please connect with your legislators today and let them know how our bills will impact your organization and the individuals you serve! This weekend’s Memorial Day’s festivities also provide another valuable opportunity to speak with your lawmakers and invite them to visit your campus.
- CCRC Revitalization Act
- Nursing Home-MLTC Rural Demonstration (This bill would authorize the Commissioner of Health to allow, in one or more rural areas, one or more Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans to enroll Medicaid beneficiaries and retain existing enrollees who are permanently placed in a nursing home on a demonstration basis.)
- Hospice in the ALP
- Role of the Nurse in Adult Care Facilities (ACFs)
- SSI Increase for ACFs
- Affordable Independent Senior Housing Assistance Program
As you advocate for these priorities, be sure to tell your side of the staffing ratios story as well! LeadingAge NY remains strongly opposed to the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, legislation that would create specific staffing ratios for nurses and other direct care staff in hospitals and nursing homes at a cost of approximately $1.06 billion to nursing homes statewide. If your lawmakers have already signed on as co-sponsors, we encourage you to educate and ask them to remove their names.
HCR Commissioner Appears Before Senate Housing Committee
On Tuesday, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas presented remarks before the Senate Housing Committee. She began by providing a brief update on the $2.5 billion allocated in last year’s budget for affordable and supportive housing, explaining that the plan is in its first full year and is on target to create the intended 100,000 units. Per the Commissioner, a progress report on the plan is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
When asked by Committee Chair Betty Little if HCR had seen any effects from the bifurcation of the State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit from the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a change authorized in this year’s budget, the Commissioner stated that the agency has begun holding roundtables with syndicators and developers and expects to promulgate rules this summer. Senator Little also inquired about HCR’s interest in scattered-site developments for senior housing projects, an idea that the Commissioner said was worth exploring through tax credits and other means. Finally, in response to a question about the number of senior housing-specific applications being submitted to HCR, the Commissioner stated that the agency was receiving a large amount, “probably more than [it] can finance.”
Legislature Appoints Barbara Underwood as Interim Attorney General
On Tuesday, by a margin of 190 to 1, the Legislature voted to appoint Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood to serve as interim attorney general through the end of the year. Lawmakers had interviewed nearly a dozen candidates to finish out the term of former officeholder Eric Schneiderman, who resigned on May 8th amid domestic abuse allegations.
Underwood is the first woman to serve as attorney general in New York and is not expected to seek a full four-year term in November.
LeadingAge NY Members “Get Social” at Annual Conference
Finally, LeadingAge NY would like to thank all those who attended our Annual Conference & Exposition in Saratoga Springs this week! The social media session presented by Ami Schnauber, LeadingAge NY’s Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy, and Corning Place Communications’ Paul Larrabee on Thursday morning was particularly well-attended and well-received. Attendees learned about the importance of having a presence in the social media space; how investment in social media can pay business and advocacy dividends; and the first steps and strategies to get started on social media. The session built on the material presented in LeadingAge NY and Corning Place Communications’ free four-part webinar series, “Amplifying Your Voice and Building Your Business Through Social Media,” held earlier this year. Those members interested in reviewing the webinar recordings once again may do so here.
Contacts:
Ami Schnauber, aschnauber@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8854
Jeff Diamond, jdiamond@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8821