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Assembly approves bill requiring nursing homes to have emergency plans for storing deceased residents
Summary
A1365A would require nursing homes to prepare plans for dedicated storage of deceased residents during declared emergencies (in response to failures during COVID-19); sponsors said plans allow flexible cooperation with neighboring facilities or off-site vendors and will be triggered by emergency declarations reviewed by DOH.
The Assembly passed A1365A, a bill prompted by the COVID-19 experience that would require nursing homes and similar long-term care facilities to have plans for dedicated storage of deceased residents during declared emergencies so remains are handled with dignity.
Sponsor Assemblymember Paulin said the bill is a response to the "many, many" deaths during the pandemic when facilities struggled to manage remains and that the measure requires facilities to submit a written plan once an emergency is declared. "So this just says you have to have a plan," Paulin said, noting plans can include on-site storage, cooperative arrangements with neighboring facilities, or contracted off-site refrigerated storage depending on the emergency.
Members questioned the timing (plans submitted after a declaration), who would judge sufficiency (the Department of Health), and practical burdens such as competing for private refrigerated storage vendors during a crisis. The sponsor said leaving flexibility allows facilities and local partners to tailor plans to specific circumstances. The clerk recorded Ayes 110, Noes 39; the bill passed.
