Senate Bill S4626

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to lyme disease and tick-borne infection awareness and prevention in children's summer camps

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health 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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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 10, 2025	referred to health

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Add §1392-b, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S6702
2021-2022: S3937
2023-2024: S5311

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to lyme disease and tick-borne infection awareness and prevention for children's overnight, summer day and traveling summer day camps; provides guidelines for treatment and notification; provides for the development of materials.

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S4626

SPONSOR: WEIK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to lyme disease and
tick-borne infection awareness and prevention

 
PURPOSE:

This would require the Department of Health, in consultation with the
Department of Environmental Conservation, to develop a Lyme and tick-
borne infection awareness and prevention program for children's summer
camps.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Directs the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the
Commissioner of Environmental Conservation to develop instructional
tools for children's overnight camps, summer day camps and traveling
summer day camps regarding prevention and awareness of Lyme disease and
other tick-borne infections. Also requires the commissioner to promul-

gate rules and regulations for tick removal guidelines for such camps,
including procedures for parental notification.

Section 2: Establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

With rates of Lyme and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) on the rise across New
York, it is more important than ever for the state to take a proactive
approach to combatting their spread. Oftentimes that will mean imple-
menting effective awareness and prevention initiatives in places where
we know individuals are spending a great deal of time outdoors, making
them more vulnerable to Lyme and TBDs. New York is home to world-class
parks and scenic landscapes, attracting countless children and teenagers
to the wide variety of summer camps offered throughout the state. With
the mission of many of these camps centered on fostering a love of the
outdoors and an appreciation for nature, it is especially important that
camp-goers and their families have the information they need to stay
healthy and tick-free. This legislation aims to ensure that our summer
camps have the tools and information they need to help reduce exposure
to Lyme and TBDs and better protect the health of their campers.

The bill would require the Department of Health, in consultation with
the Department of Environmental Conservation, to develop instructional
materials specifically for summer day, traveling, and over-night camps
to foster awareness of Lyme and TBDs and to ensure proper prevention
precautions are taken. It is important to note that many children
attending summer camps may be coming from areas where ticks are less
common or completely unknown, making these awareness efforts especially
important.

Additionally, this legislation would require the state to develop guide-
lines for the removal of ticks from attendees at summer camps, and
establish rules for notifying guardians of these events. Because symp-
toms of Lyme and TBDs may not arise until after the child has completed
a camp program, and because the symptoms associated with Lyme and TBDs
can often be misdiagnosed especially when they do not accompany a known
bite, this notification provision is especially important to ensure that
the child's guardians and healthcare providers have the information they
need to provide effective care. In preventing the spread of Lyme and
tick-borne diseases, knowledge is power, and this legislation will help
better protect countless young people as they enjoy the many summer
camps New York has to offer.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023 S5311 Health

2022 S3937 Health

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4626
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEIK  --  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 lyme  disease  and
   tick-borne infection awareness and prevention
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 1392-b to read as follows:
   §   1392-B.  LYME  DISEASE  AND  TICK-BORNE  INFECTION  AWARENESS  AND
 PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN'S OVERNIGHT, SUMMER  DAY  AND  TRAVELING
 SUMMER  DAY CAMPS. 1. THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMIS-
 SIONER OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, SHALL DEVELOP INSTRUCTIONAL  TOOLS
 AND MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN'S OVERNIGHT CAMPS, SUMMER DAY CAMPS AND TRAV-
 ELING  SUMMER  DAY  CAMPS  REGARDING  PREVENTION  AND  AWARENESS OF LYME
 DISEASE AND OTHER TICK-BORNE INFECTIONS.  RESOURCES AND MATERIALS  SHALL
 BE  AGE-APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN ATTENDING SUCH CAMPS AND PROVIDE INFOR-
 MATION ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF TICKS, RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES  FOR  SAFE
 TICK  REMOVAL  AND BEST PRACTICES TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM TICKS. SUCH
 MATERIALS  MAY  INCLUDE  BUT  NOT  BE  LIMITED  TO  VIDEO   PRODUCTIONS,
 PAMPHLETS, AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS TO ILLUSTRATE THE VARIOUS SIZES OF
 TICKS  BEFORE AND AFTER ENGORGEMENT TO ASSIST WITH THE IDENTIFICATION OF
 A TICK AND THE REACTION ON THE SKIN THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF A TICK
 BITE. MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS TO ADVANCE AND PROMOTE EDUCATION
 AND AWARENESS ON TICK IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION SHALL BE MADE AVAIL-
 ABLE TO CHILDREN'S OVERNIGHT  CAMPS,  SUMMER  DAY  CAMPS  AND  TRAVELING
 SUMMER  DAY CAMPS UPON REQUEST AT NO CHARGE. SUCH MATERIALS AND INSTRUC-
 TIONAL TOOLS MAY ALSO BE  MADE  AVAILABLE  TO  CHILDREN'S  NON-REGULATED
 CAMPS,  PURSUANT  TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY-EIGHT-F OF THE GENERAL
 BUSINESS LAW.
   2. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROMULGATE, AND REVIEW AS  NECESSARY,  RULES
 AND  REGULATIONS  RELATED  TO  CHILDREN  ATTENDING  CHILDREN'S OVERNIGHT
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08604-01-5

 S. 4626                             2
 
 CAMPS, SUMMER DAY CAMPS, AND TRAVELING SUMMER DAY CAMPS WHO HAVE A  TICK
 REMOVED  FROM  THEM WHILE AT SUCH A CAMP. SUCH REGULATIONS SHALL INCLUDE
 BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (A)  TICK  REMOVAL  GUIDELINES  FOR EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS OF SUCH A
 CAMP, AGED EIGHTEEN YEARS OR OLDER, TO BE DEVELOPED BY THE  COMMISSIONER
 OF HEALTH;
   (B)  PROCEDURES FOR WRITTEN NOTIFICATION TO A PARENT OR GUARDIAN AFTER
 A TICK HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM A CHILD  ATTENDING  SUCH  A  CAMP.  WRITTEN
 NOTIFICATION  SHALL  INCLUDE,  BUT  NOT  BE LIMITED TO, THE INCLUSION OF
 INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS DEVELOPED BY THE COMMISSIONER ABOUT  THE  SPREAD
 OF  LYME  DISEASE AND OTHER TICK-BORNE INFECTIONS, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF
 LYME OR TICK-BORNE INFECTIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW AND  WHEN  TO
 SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT IF NEEDED; AND
   (C)  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  INFORMATIONAL  MATERIALS FOR SUCH CAMPS AND
 PARENTS TO BE PROVIDED ON THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH  WEBSITE.  THE  RULES
 AND REGULATIONS ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE DEEMED
 TO  BE  THE  MINIMUM STANDARDS THAT MUST BE COMPLIED WITH BY EVERY CHIL-
 DREN'S OVERNIGHT CAMP, SUMMER DAY CAMP, AND TRAVELING  SUMMER  DAY  CAMP
 RELATING TO THE REMOVAL OF TICKS ON CHILDREN. SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS
 MAY  ALSO  BE IMPLEMENTED BY CHILDREN'S NON-REGULATED CAMPS, PURSUANT TO
 SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY-EIGHT-F OF THE  GENERAL  BUSINESS  LAW,  IF
 THEY SO AUTHORIZE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S4626

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Actions

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Alexis Weik

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Actions

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S4626 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments