County of Erie v. Axelrod
County of Erie v. Axelrod
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
Memorandum.
The order of the Appellate Division should be reversed, with costs, and judgment granted declaring the commissioner’s regulation 10 NYCRR 40.10 (f) valid.
There is no interference with municipal home rule in the Legislature’s so providing, for the county is only required to subject its medical examiner’s office to the jurisdiction of its department of health if it wishes to obtain partial reimbursement of the expenditures of that office. Nor can it be said that the legislative policy thus established does not serve a legitimate governmental interest. As the Governor noted in his memorandum of approval of the predecessor provision of section 608, “It is designed to encourage the development of local health departments and the improvement of health services generally” (NY Legis Ann, 1946, p 188). In light of that purpose and the express language of section 608, the regulation in question is clearly within the State commissioner’s authority (cf. Public Health Law, § 605).
Nor does the fact that the medical examiner’s office relies upon laboratory services in its work make the laboratory functions of the office reimbursable under section 620 of the Public Health Law. Subdivision 1 of that section provides for partial reimbursement of expenditures for “laboratory services” where a laboratory is established pursuant to article 5 of the Public Health Law. The medical examiner’s office has not been shown to be so established. Nor is the office brought within section 620, as the county suggests, by the statement of purpose in section
Chief Judge Cooke and Judges Jasen, Jones, Wachtler, Meyer, Simons and Kaye concur.
Order reversed, with costs, and judgment granted declaring the commissioner’s regulation 10 NYCRR 40.10 (f) valid in a memorandum.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In the Matter of the County of Erie v. David Axelrod, as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published