Int. No. 932
By Council Members Farías, Louis and Morano
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating education on estate planning for people contemplating high-risk medical procedures
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a section 17-200.1 to read as follows:
§ 17-200.1 Patient education on wills. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Designated citywide languages. The term “designated citywide languages” has the same meaning as set forth in section 23-1101.
Estate planning. The term “estate planning” means the preparation of a last will and testament, a trust, or any other method of planning for the disposition of an individual’s property and assets upon death.
High-risk medical procedure. The term “high-risk medical procedure” means any medical procedure where the patient has a substantial risk of a major complication or death.
Hospital. The term “hospital” means a general hospital as defined in subdivision 10 of section 2801 of the public health law.
b. Development of materials. 1. No later than 6 months after the effective date of the local law that added this section, the commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of consumer and worker protection, shall develop materials to educate patients about estate planning. Such materials shall, at minimum, include:
(a) General information about estate planning and fraud as it relates to estate planning;
(b) Contact information for legal resources and legal services organizations that can assist in advising individuals in estate planning; and
(c) Contact information for the department or other relevant agencies or organizations that an individual may contact to obtain additional information regarding estate planning.
2. Materials developed pursuant to this subdivision shall be in the designated citywide languages and incorporate accessibility features, including the use of large print, legible fonts, clear and accessible language, instructive graphics, and braille.
c. Guidance. 1. The commissioner shall encourage hospitals in the city to distribute the materials created pursuant to subdivision b to patients being consulted on the benefits and risks of, or otherwise preparing for, a high-risk medical procedure.
2. The commissioner, in consultation with the New York city health and hospitals corporation, shall provide guidance on what procedures are considered high-risk medical procedures.
d. Publication of materials. The commissioner shall publish materials developed pursuant to subdivision b on the department’s website. The commissioner shall also provide physical copies of such materials to any hospital that requests them.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
JMF
LS #22337
5/18/2026 12:18 PM