---
type: "Bill"
title: "Enacts \"Stephen's law\"; requires certified treatment programs to notify patients of their right to name an emergency contact"
description: "Enacts \"Stephen's law\"; requires certified treatment programs to notify patients of their right to name an emergency contact."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ny"
legislature: "New York Legislature"
session: "2019-2020"
identifier: "S 4741"
citation: "New York S 4741 (2019-2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["HARCKHAM"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 26
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2019-03-22"
last_action: "2020-11-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e51cea7c-f32e-478e-9e21-0d1925046492"
source_url: "http://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S4741"
source_hash: "12e557607f28e6ea8332b37e9a3c6b86db17672dd106a20959b30744b0437e07"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ny"]
---

# New York S 4741 (2019-2020) — Enacts "Stephen's law"; requires certified treatment programs to notify patients of their right to name an emergency contact

Enacts "Stephen's law"; requires certified treatment programs to notify patients of their right to name an emergency contact.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **S4741** (committee substitute) — [source](http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?sh=printbill&bn=S4741&term=2019&Text=Y)
2. **S4741A** (committee substitute) — [source](http://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/bills/2019/S4741A)
3. **S4741B** (committee substitute) — [source](http://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/bills/2019/S4741B)

## Votes

- Mental Health And Developmental Disabilities Vote - Version: A — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Rules Vote - Version: B — **18–0** (pass) · upper
- Floor Vote - Version: B — **61–0** (pass) · upper
- Alcoholism And Substance Abuse Vote — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Assembly Vote — **142–0** (pass) · lower
- Floor Vote - Version: A — **60–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- HARCKHAM — primary (person)
- BIAGGI — cosponsor (person)
- CARLUCCI — cosponsor (person)
- KAPLAN — cosponsor (person)
- KENNEDY — cosponsor (person)
- KRUEGER — cosponsor (person)
- MARTINEZ — cosponsor (person)
- MAY — cosponsor (person)
- METZGER — cosponsor (person)
- ORTT — cosponsor (person)
- RAMOS — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-03-22** REFERRED TO ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE `referral-committee`
- **2019-04-08** REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES `referral-committee`
- **2019-04-24** AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES `referral-committee, amendment-passage`
- **2019-04-24** PRINT NUMBER 4741A `amendment-passage`
- **2019-04-30** 1ST REPORT CAL.510
- **2019-05-01** 2ND REPORT CAL.
- **2019-05-06** ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
- **2019-05-13** PASSED SENATE `passage`
- **2019-05-13** DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
- **2019-05-13** REFERRED TO ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** DIED IN ASSEMBLY
- **2020-01-08** RETURNED TO SENATE
- **2020-01-08** REFERRED TO ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE `referral-committee, amendment-passage`
- **2020-01-08** PRINT NUMBER 4741B `amendment-passage`
- **2020-02-03** COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-03** ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.330
- **2020-02-04** PASSED SENATE `passage`
- **2020-02-04** DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
- **2020-02-04** REFERRED TO ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE `referral-committee`
- **2020-07-21** SUBSTITUTED FOR A9536
- **2020-07-21** ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.249
- **2020-07-21** PASSED ASSEMBLY `passage`
- **2020-07-21** RETURNED TO SENATE
- **2020-10-30** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR `executive-receipt`
- **2020-11-11** SIGNED CHAP.270 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e51cea7c-f32e-478e-9e21-0d1925046492`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New York legislature records).