New York Senate Bill S06651

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Directs the development of a demonstration program to authorize individuals aged sixteen and seventeen to be consumer directed personal assistants.

Summary

This bill directs the Commissioner of Social Services to develop a three-year demonstration program allowing individuals who are 16 or 17 years old to serve as consumer directed personal assistants in New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), so long as they comply with existing labor law requirements. These assistants would work under the instruction, supervision, and direction of the consumer or the consumer’s designated representative. The bill also limits participants in the demonstration program to no more than eight hours per day and six days per week. The proposal takes effect immediately upon enactment and is automatically repealed after three years, making it a temporary pilot rather than a permanent change. It would amend the Social Services Law, specifically section 365-f, by adding a new subdivision authorizing the program and setting the basic work-hour restrictions for participating minors.

Impact

The bill would modify New York Social Services Law to create a limited pilot program within CDPAP for 16- and 17-year-olds, expanding the pool of eligible personal assistants beyond adults. It would affect consumers who rely on self-directed home care, potential teen workers seeking part-time employment in caregiving, and the Department of Social Services, which would be responsible for developing and overseeing the demonstration program. Because the authorization is temporary and tied to compliance with labor law, the bill would not permanently alter the state’s personal care framework unless later extended or enacted into permanent law.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a targeted workforce-expansion and youth-employment initiative rather than a controversial overhaul of home care policy. No committee transcript or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented debate or formal sentiment history in the materials. The overall tone of the bill is cautious and experimental, reflected in the use of a time-limited demonstration program and explicit work-hour limits for minors.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are likely to be child labor and patient-safety concerns versus workforce access and consumer choice. Supporters would likely emphasize that the bill creates supervised opportunities for teenagers and may help address staffing shortages in consumer-directed care, while opponents may question whether 16- and 17-year-olds should provide personal care services and whether the supervision and hour limits are sufficient. Because no committee discussion or vote record is included, specific positions by legislators, advocates, labor groups, or disability-rights stakeholders are not documented here.