S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1349--B
     Cal. No. 936
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 9, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Education  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to  said  committee -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered
   to first and second report, ordered to  a  third  reading,  passed  by
   Senate  and  delivered  to  the Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered,
   restored to third reading, amended and  ordered  reprinted,  retaining
   its place in the order of third reading
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law, in relation to requiring school
   districts to provide information regarding water safety  and  swimming
   certification  to  certain parents or students upon enrollment; and to
   amend the public health law, in relation to promoting public awareness
   of the dangers of fatal and non-fatal drowning
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 926 to
 read as follows:
   §  926. WATER SAFETY AND SWIMMING CERTIFICATION. 1. BEGINNING WITH THE
 TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX--TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-SEVEN  SCHOOL  YEAR,  EACH
 SCHOOL  DISTRICT  SHALL  PROVIDE,  TO A PARENT OR GUARDIAN WHO INITIALLY
 ENROLLS THEIR CHILD IN THE SCHOOL, INFORMATION  ON  THE  IMPORTANT  ROLE
 WATER  SAFETY  EDUCATION  COURSES  AND  SWIMMING  LESSONS PLAY IN SAVING
 LIVES. SUCH INFORMATION, WHICH SHALL BE PROVIDED BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF
 HEALTH  ON  ITS  PUBLIC WEBSITE PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (T) OF SUBDIVISION
 ONE OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED SEVEN OF  THE  PUBLIC  HEALTH  LAW,  MUST  BE
 PROVIDED  ELECTRONICALLY  OR IN HARD COPY AND MUST INCLUDE LOCAL OPTIONS
 FOR AGE-APPROPRIATE WATER  SAFETY  COURSES  AND  SWIMMING  LESSONS  THAT
 RESULT  IN  A  CERTIFICATE  INDICATING  SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION, INCLUDING
 COURSES AND LESSONS OFFERED FOR FREE OR AT A REDUCED PRICE.  TO  SATISFY
 THIS  REQUIREMENT, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY EITHER: (A) PROVIDE A LIST OF
 OPTIONS DEEMED GEOGRAPHICALLY APPROPRIATE BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, OR (B)
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD04032-07-5
 S. 1349--B                          2
 
 PROVIDE A WEBSITE ADDRESS TO AN ONLINE DATABASE OF OPTIONS SEARCHABLE BY
 ZIP CODE AS APPROVED FOR SUCH PURPOSE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PURSU-
 ANT TO PARAGRAPH (T) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED SEVEN  OF
 THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW. IF THE STUDENT IS EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER,
 OR  IS  UNDER  THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE AND IS ENROLLING IN ADULT EDUCATION
 CLASSES, THE INFORMATION MUST BE PROVIDED TO THE STUDENT.
   2. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM "WATER SAFETY" SHALL
 MEAN AGE-APPROPRIATE EDUCATION INTENDED TO PROMOTE SAFETY  IN,  ON,  AND
 AROUND BODIES OF WATER AND REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY, INCLUDING FATAL OR
 NON-FATAL DROWNING.
   §  2.  Paragraph  (s)  of  subdivision  1 of section 207 of the public
 health law, as added by chapter 294 of the laws of 2024, is  amended  to
 read as follows:
   [(s)]  (T) Promoting public awareness of the dangers of fatal and non-
 fatal drowning, including but not limited to the unique risk factors and
 exposures associated with infant and early drowning, childhood and teen-
 age drowning and adult drowning,  the  disparate  risk  of  drowning  in
 disadvantaged  communities identified pursuant to section 75-0111 of the
 environmental conservation law and with individuals with a mental  disa-
 bility  as  defined  by  subdivision three of section 1.03 of the mental
 hygiene law, and methods to reduce the risks of drowning, including  but
 not  limited to water safety instruction, swim lessons, and awareness of
 water based risks. SUCH INFORMATION SHALL INCLUDE ACCESS  TO  AN  ONLINE
 DATABASE,  SEARCHABLE  BY ZIP CODE, OF OPTIONS FOR AGE-APPROPRIATE WATER
 SAFETY COURSES AND SWIMMING LESSONS THAT RESULT IN A  CERTIFICATE  INDI-
 CATING  SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION, INCLUDING COURSES AND LESSONS OFFERED FOR
 FREE OR AT A REDUCED PRICE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026; provided that the amend-
 ments to subdivision 1 of section 207 of the public health law  made  by
 section  two  of  this act shall take effect on the same date and in the
 same manner as section 1 of chapter 294  of  the  laws  of  2024,  takes
 effect.