NY State Senate Bill 2015-S5466

Senate Bill S5466

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring that information be made available to parents regarding window blind safety

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 24, 2016	reported and committed to finance
Jan 06, 2016	referred to health
Jun 02, 2015	reported and committed to finance
May 14, 2015	referred to health

Votes

- May 24, 2016 - Health Committee Vote
  S5466
  
  15
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  1
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Health Committee Vote: May 24, 2016
      
      aye (15)
      
      Felder
      
      Golden
      
      Hannon
      
      Hassell-Thompson
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Larkin
      
      Little
      
      Martins
      
      Montgomery
      
      Persaud
      
      Rivera
      
      Stavisky
      
      Valesky
      
      Young
      
      aye wr (1)
      
      Murphy
      
      excused (1)
      
      Seward
  Jun 2, 2015 - Health Committee Vote
  S5466
  
  15
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  1
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Health Committee Vote: Jun 2, 2015
      
      aye (15)
      
      Farley
      
      Felder
      
      Golden
      
      Hannon
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Larkin
      
      Little
      
      Martins
      
      Montgomery
      
      Panepinto
      
      Rivera
      
      Seward
      
      Stavisky
      
      Valesky
      
      Young
      
      aye wr (1)
      
      Murphy
      
      excused (1)
      
      Hassell-Thompson

2015-S5466 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A5804
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2803-j, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S1868, A2914
2019-2020: S4181, A3840

2015-S5466 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to requiring that information be made available to parents regarding window blind safety.

2015-S5466 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S5466

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

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill would require the
information be made available to parents regarding window blind safety
and the potential fatal consequences from strangulation posed by
window blinds.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 provides for the production of a sufficient number of
informational pamphlets to ensure that every pediatrician In the state
will be able to provide such pamphlet to parents during a child's six
month appointment.

Section 2 provides that the pamphlet referenced in section 1 will
include information regarding the danger, specifically the risk of
strangulation, posed by window blinds to children.

Section 3 provides the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION: In recent years, there have been a number of tragic
stories of young children being strangled to death after becoming

entangled in the chords of window blinds. The federal Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) has estimated that, since 1982, there have
been at least 200 children that have died from strangulation
associated with corded window coverings. Those most at risk are
children between the ages of 1 and 3, who have some mobility but are
still unable to fully control their motor functions.

According to the emergency department-treated injury data (NEISS),
CPSC estimates that from 1996 to 2012, children received treatment for
1,590 injuries resulting from entanglements on window covering cords.
The ages of the injured ranged from 14 months to eight years.  Based
on the deaths reported, 65% were 5-year-olds and 35% were 3-year-olds.
The hospitalizations occurred among 1-year-olds (59%), 4-year-olds
(38%), and 3-year-olds (3%).

When window cords are accessible to small children, these seemingly
harmless products may become strangulation hazards. This is especially
important with older window coverings that may not meet the latest
national standard for window cord safety. This legislation seeks to
educate parents by requiring that information be made available to
parents by pediatric primary care providers regarding window blind
safety. Such information will include proper installation of blinds,
examples of current national standards and the fatal consequences from
strangulation posed by window blinds.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: None

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after
it shall have become law.

2015-S5466 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  5466

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              May 14, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced by Sen. MARCHIONE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

AN  ACT  to  amend  the public health law, in relation to requiring that
  information be made available to parents regarding window blind safety

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision 1 of section 2803-j of the public health law,
as amended by chapter 199 of the laws of 2014, is  amended  to  read  as
follows:
  1. The commissioner shall require that every hospital and birth center
shall  prepare in printed or photocopied form and distribute at the time
of pre-booking directly to each prospective maternity patient and,  upon
request,  to  the  general public an informational leaflet. Such leaflet
shall be designed by the commissioner  and  shall  contain  brief  defi-
nitions  of  maternity  related procedures and practices as specified in
subdivision two of this section and such other material as deemed appro-
priate by the commissioner. Hospitals and birth centers may  also  elect
to  distribute  additional explanatory material along with the maternity
patients informational leaflet. The commissioner shall make the informa-
tion contained in the leaflet available on the department's website  AND
SHALL CAUSE A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF LEAFLETS TO BE PRINTED OR PHOTOCOPIED
TO  ALLOW  EACH  PEDIATRIC PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER IN THE STATE TO PROVIDE
THE LEAFLET TO PARENTS AT A CHILD'S SIX MONTH APPOINTMENT.
  S 2. Section 2803-j of the public health law, as amended by chapter 62
of the laws of 1996, is amended by adding a new subdivision 1-d to  read
as follows:
  1-D.  THE INFORMATIONAL LEAFLET SHALL ALSO INCLUDE INFORMATION REGARD-
ING THE DANGER THAT WINDOW BLINDS  POSE  TO  CHILDREN  INCLUDING  PROPER
INSTALLATION  OF BLINDS, EXAMPLES OF CURRENT STANDARDS AND THE POTENTIAL
FATAL CONSEQUENCES FROM STRANGULATION POSED BY WINDOW BLINDS.
  S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
have become a law.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                           LBD09524-02-5

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