NY State Senate Bill 2017-S1868

Senate Bill S1868

2017-2018 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 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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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to health
Jun 21, 2017	committed to rules
Jun 05, 2017	advanced to third reading
May 24, 2017	2nd report cal.
May 23, 2017	1st report cal.1139
Jan 11, 2017	referred to health

Votes

- May 23, 2017 - Health Committee Vote
  S1868
  
  16
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  1
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Health Committee Vote: May 23, 2017
      
      aye (16)
      
      Felder
      
      Golden
      
      Hannon
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jacobs
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Larkin
      
      Little
      
      Montgomery
      
      Persaud
      
      Ritchie
      
      Rivera
      
      Seward
      
      Stavisky
      
      Tedisco
      
      Valesky
      
      aye wr (1)
      
      Murphy

2017-S1868 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2914
Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2803-j, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S5466, A5804
2019-2020: S4181, A3840

2017-S1868 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2017-S1868 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S1868

 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%), 4year-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 :

2015-2016 S.5466 Reported and Committed to Finance / A.5804 Passed
Assembly

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.

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

2017-S1868 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1868
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 11, 2017
                                ___________
 
 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.
   § 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-e to  read
 as follows:
   1-E.  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.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04403-01-7

 S. 1868                             2
 
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.

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