NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9524
SPONSOR: McDonald TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring that
information be made available to parents regarding window blind safety;
and to repeal certain provisions of such law related thereto
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to provide timely information relating to
window blinds that pose a risk to children.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 and 2 would make technical amendments necessary to effectuate
the changes outlined in this bill.
Section 3 would modify Chapter 648 of the Laws of 2019 to require the
Commissioner of Health (COH) to develop an informational leaflet on the
dangers that corded window blinds pose to children, and to allow pedia-
tric providers to provide the information at the child's six month well-
ness visit. The information developed by the COH would be posted on the
Department of Health' s.website.
Section 4 would establish the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Chapter 648 of the Laws of 2019 required the Department of Health to
include information on the dangers window blinds may pose to children as
part of an informational leaflet that is distributed to maternity
patients at prebooking. The language in this bill modifies that initial
proposal to focus on corded window blinds which pose the greatest risk
to children. Additionally, providing this information to parents at
their six month wellness visit, rather than at prebooking, for maternity
patients will serve to make parents aware of this important information
as their child begins to become more mobile.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Legislation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a chap-
ter of the laws of 2019, amending the public health law relating to
requiring that information be made available to parents regarding window
blind safety as proposed in legislative bills numbers 5.4181 and A.3840,
takes effect.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9524
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2020
___________
Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring that
information be made available to parents regarding window blind safe-
ty; and to repeal certain provisions of such law related thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 2803-j of the public health law,
2 as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2019, amending the public health
3 law relating to requiring that information be made available to parents
4 regarding window blind safety, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
5 S. 4181 and A. 3840, is amended to read as follows:
6 1. The commissioner shall require that every hospital and birth center
7 shall prepare in printed or photocopied form and distribute at the time
8 of pre-booking directly to each prospective maternity patient and, upon
9 request, to the general public an informational leaflet. Such leaflet
10 shall be designed by the commissioner and shall contain brief defi-
11 nitions of maternity related procedures and practices as specified in
12 subdivision two of this section and such other material as deemed appro-
13 priate by the commissioner. Hospitals and birth centers may also elect
14 to distribute additional explanatory material along with the maternity
15 patients informational leaflet. The commissioner shall make the informa-
16 tion contained in the leaflet available on the department's website [and
17 shall cause a sufficient number of leaflets to be printed or photocopied
18 to allow each pediatric primary care provider in the state to provide
19 the leaflet to parents at a child's six month appointment].
20 § 2. Subdivision 1-e of section 2803-j of the public health law, as
21 added by a chapter of the laws of 2019, amending the public health law
22 relating to requiring that information be made available to parents
23 regarding window blind safety, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
24 S. 4181 and A. 3840, is REPEALED.
25 § 3. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2509-a
26 to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00511-02-9
A. 9524 2
1 § 2509-a. Corded window blind leaflet. The commissioner, in consulta-
2 tion with the secretary of state, shall create a leaflet regarding the
3 danger that corded window blinds pose to children including proper
4 installation of blinds, examples of current standards and the potential
5 fatal consequences from strangulation posed by corded window blinds.
6 Such leaflet shall be posted on the department's website in a printable
7 format to allow each pediatric primary care provider to provide the
8 leaflet to parents at a child's six month well child visit.
9 § 4. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
10 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2019, amending the public health law
11 relating to requiring that information be made available to parents
12 regarding window blind safety, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
13 S. 4181 and A. 3840, takes effect.
