April 2, 2024

The Honorable Kathy Hochul

Governor of New York State
NYS Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Hochul,

We, the undersigned legislators of the New York State Legislature, write to ask you to take
urgent action and declare a State Disaster Emergency surrounding the opioid epidemic.

The State is facing a crisis regarding the increased amounts of people dying from overdoses and
opioid-related deaths. In 2022 alone, the State saw approximately 6,670 overdose deaths, over
10,000 emergency room visits involving overdoses, and more than 70,000 admissions to
substance-use disorder programs. Every 90 minutes, a New Yorker dies a preventable death due
to an overdose. Each year, this number increases in New York while it has plateaued nationally,
with the largest increases occurring in Black, Brown, and low-income communities. Further,
with the introduction of potent, synthetic additives such as fentanyl and xylazine into the drug
supply, it is imperative that the State prioritize public health and take the most proactive action
possible to save lives. We believe this can be achieved by declaring an Overdose State Disaster
Emergency.

In October 2017, a federal Opioid Public Health Emergency was declared by the Trump
Administration. Several states, including Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as Washington D.C., have already declared
statewide emergencies in response to the opioid crisis.

By declaring a State Disaster Emergency, the overdose crisis will receive the attention it needs
not just from public health organizations, but from members of the State and Local legislatures,
agencies, executives, and the public, and become a greater priority to be addressed by all. Once
declared, there are many additional actions that we encourage you to consider such as:
● Waiving all cost-sharing (i.e. copays, coinsurance, deductibles) for individuals
attempting to access substance use treatment services;
● Increasing Medicaid rates for substance use treatment services;
● Adjusting and/or waiving unattainable staffing requirements in the OASAS rules; and
 ● Creating emergency regulations permitting community-based organizations to
enhance overdose prevention methods and services.

In honor of the tens of thousands of lives lost in the past decade and to prevent more loss of life
in our state, we strongly recommend that you, Governor Hochul, declare an Overdose State
Disaster Emergency immediately. We, the undersigned, look forward to working alongside your
administration to make New York a state that values and protects lives.

Sincerely,

Nathalia Fernandez Jessica González-Rojas

State Senator, 34th SD Member of Assembly, 34th AD

Emily Gallagher Dr. Anna R. Kelles

Member of Assembly, 50th AD Member of Assembly, 125th AD

Joseph P. Addabbo Jacob Ashby

State Senator, 15th SD State Senator, 43rd SD

Jamaal T. Bailey Jabari Brisport

State Senator, 36th SD State Senator, 25th SD

Samra G. Brouk Cordell Cleare

State Senator, 55th SD State Senator, 30th SD
Leroy Comrie Michael Gianaris
State Senator, 14th SD State Senator, 12th SD

Andrew Gounardes Peter Harckham

State Senator, 26th SD State Senator, 40th SD

Pamela Helming Michelle Hinchey

State Senator, 54th SD State Senator, 41st SD

Brad Hoylman-Sigal Timothy M. Kennedy

State Senator, 47th SD State Senator, 58th SD

Andrew J. Lanza John C. Liu

State Senator, 24th SD State Senator, 16th SD

Monica R. Martinez Shelley B. Mayer

State Senator, 4th SD State Senator, 37th SD
Dean Murray Zellnor Myrie
State Senator, 3rd SD State Senator, 20th SD

Roxanne J. Persaud Jessica Ramos

State Senator, 19th SD State Senator, 13th SD

Sean Ryan Julia Salazar

State Senator, 61st SD State Senator, 18th SD

James Sanders, Jr. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

State Senator, 10th SD State Senator, 23rd SD

Luis R. Sepulveda Jose M. Serrano

State Senator, 32nd SD State Senator, 29th SD
Kevin Thomas Lea Webb
State Senator, 6th SD State Senator, 52nd SD

Bill Weber George Alvarez

State Senator, 38th SD Member of Assembly, 78th AD

Khaleel Anderson Alex Bores

Member of Assembly, 31st AD Member of Assembly, 73rd AD

Keith P. Brown Maritza Davila

Member of Assembly, 12th AD Member of Assembly, 53rd AD

Joseph DeStefano Jodi Giglio

Member of Assembly, 3rd AD Member of Assembly, 2nd AD

Aileen M. Gunther Andrew Hevesi

Member of Assembly, 100th AD Member of Assembly, 28th AD
Dana Levenberg Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Member of Assembly, 95th AD Member of Assembly, 36th AD

Brian Manktelow MaryJane Shimsky

Member of Assembly, 130th AD Member of Assembly, 92nd AD

Sarahana Shrestha Jo Anne Simon

Member of Assembly, 103rd AD Member of Assembly, 52nd AD

Tony Simone Michaelle C. Solages

Member of Assembly, 75th AD Member of Assembly, 22nd AD

Matt Slater Yudelka Tapia

Member of Assembly, 94th AD Member of Assembly, 86th AD

Fred Thiele Carrie Woerner

Member of Assembly, 1st AD Member of Assembly, 113th AD