New York Senate Bill S00145

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Amends Kendra's law, in relation to making the provisions thereof permanent.

Summary

This bill would amend Kendra’s Law to remove its current sunset date and make the law permanent. Kendra’s Law is New York’s assisted outpatient treatment framework, which allows courts to order certain individuals with serious mental illness to comply with community-based treatment plans when statutory criteria are met. The bill does not change the core standards or procedures of the law; it changes only the duration of the statute by striking the provision that would have caused it to expire on June 30, 2027. By making Kendra’s Law permanent, the bill would preserve the existing legal authority for courts, mental health providers, counties, and families to seek assisted outpatient treatment under Mental Hygiene Law section 9.60. It would also avoid the need for periodic reauthorization by the Legislature and provide continuity for the state’s outpatient commitment system. The practical effect is to keep in place the current statutory structure for involuntary outpatient treatment in New York indefinitely unless later amended or repealed.

Impact

The bill would amend Chapter 408 of the Laws of 1999, commonly known as Kendra’s Law, by deleting the expiration and repeal language tied to June 30, 2027. As a result, the assisted outpatient treatment provisions in Mental Hygiene Law section 9.60 would remain in force permanently rather than operating under a sunset. The bill would affect individuals subject to court-ordered outpatient treatment, county mental health systems, courts, hospitals, clinicians, and family members who use the statute to seek treatment intervention.

Sentiment

Based on the bill’s sponsorship and the absence of recorded opposition in the provided materials, the measure appears to be presented in a generally supportive and straightforward manner by its sponsors. The bill’s purpose is limited and administrative in nature: to preserve an existing mental health intervention tool rather than create a new program. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no documented debate in the supplied materials, but the framing suggests the sponsors view permanence as necessary for continuity and stability in mental health treatment policy.

Contention

The main point of contention likely concerns the policy underlying assisted outpatient treatment itself: whether Kendra’s Law appropriately balances public safety, treatment access, and civil liberties. Supporters generally argue that it helps ensure treatment for individuals with serious mental illness who may otherwise cycle through hospitals, homelessness, or the criminal justice system, while critics may raise concerns about coercion, due process, and the use of court-ordered treatment. Because the bill only makes the law permanent and does not alter eligibility or procedures, any disagreement would center on the continued existence of the statute rather than its mechanics.