S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6971--B
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
March 29, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. TAYLOR, L. ROSENTHAL, D'URSO, SOLAGES, ORTIZ,
RICHARDSON, CRESPO, FERNANDEZ, DE LA ROSA, COOK, WEPRIN, PRETLOW,
GOTTFRIED, LAVINE, HYNDMAN, DICKENS, BRONSON, CUSICK, ABINANTI,
ARROYO, RIVERA, JEAN-PIERRE, DAVILA, McDONALD, STECK, WILLIAMS,
JOYNER, EPSTEIN, D. ROSENTHAL, O'DONNELL, STERN, VANEL, BARRON, DINOW-
ITZ, JAFFEE, BRABENEC, RAIA, WRIGHT, PAULIN, FALL, SEAWRIGHT, GALEF,
MOSLEY, RAYNOR -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health --
committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said committee
with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring anaphy-
lactic policies for child care services
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Elijah's Law".
§ 2. Section 2500-h of the public health law, as added by chapter 579
of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
§ 2500-h. Anaphylactic policy for school districts AND CHILD CARE
PROVIDERS. 1. (A) The commissioner, in consultation with the commis-
sioner of education, shall establish an anaphylactic policy for school
districts setting forth guidelines and procedures to be followed for
both the prevention of anaphylaxis and during a medical emergency
resulting from anaphylaxis. Such policy shall be developed after
consultation with representatives of pediatric physicians, school nurses
and other health care providers with expertise in treating children with
anaphylaxis, parents of children with life threatening allergies, school
administrators, teachers, school food service directors and appropriate
not-for-profit corporations representing allergic individuals at risk
for anaphylaxis.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01766-07-9
A. 6971--B 2
(B) THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF CHIL-
DREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, SHALL ESTABLISH AN ANAPHYLACTIC POLICY FOR
CHILD DAY CARE PROVIDERS AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY OF
THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW SETTING FORTH GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES TO BE
FOLLOWED FOR BOTH THE PREVENTION OF ANAPHYLAXIS AND DURING A MEDICAL
EMERGENCY RESULTING FROM ANAPHYLAXIS. SUCH POLICY SHALL BE DEVELOPED
AFTER CONSULTATION WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF PEDIATRIC PHYSICIANS AND
OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WITH EXPERTISE IN TREATING CHILDREN WITH
ANAPHYLAXIS, PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH LIFE THREATENING ALLERGIES, CHILD
DAY CARE ADMINISTRATORS AND PERSONNEL, AND APPROPRIATE NOT-FOR-PROFIT
CORPORATIONS REPRESENTING ALLERGIC INDIVIDUALS AT RISK FOR ANAPHYLAXIS.
THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF CHILDREN AND
FAMILY SERVICES, SHALL CREATE INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS DETAILING SUCH
ANAPHYLACTIC POLICES TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO CHILD DAY CARE CENTERS.
(C) IN ESTABLISHING POLICIES PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION, SUCH
COMMISSIONERS SHALL CONSIDER EXISTING REQUIREMENTS, AS WELL AS CURRENT
AND BEST PRACTICES FOR SCHOOLS AND CHILD DAY CARE PROVIDERS ON ALLERGIES
AND ANAPHYLAXIS, INCLUDING THOSE IN PLACE FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS REGU-
LATED BY THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE.
SUCH COMMISSIONERS SHALL ALSO CONSIDER THE VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES FOR
MANAGING FOOD ALLERGIES IN SCHOOLS AND EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
ISSUED BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, TO
THE EXTENT APPROPRIATE FOR THE SETTING.
(D) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CREATE INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS DETAILING
SUCH ANAPHYLACTIC POLICIES TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS OF
EDUCATION, CHARTER SCHOOLS, BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES,
AND CHILD DAY CARE CENTERS, AND SHALL MAKE THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON
THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
2. The anaphylactic [policy] POLICIES established [by] UNDER subdivi-
sion one of this section shall include the following:
(a) a procedure and treatment plan, including EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS AND
responsibilities for school nurses and other appropriate school AND
CHILD DAY CARE personnel, for responding to anaphylaxis;
(b) a training course for appropriate school AND CHILD DAY CARE
personnel for preventing and responding to anaphylaxis. THE COMMISSIONER
SHALL, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY
SERVICES AND THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, CONSIDER EXISTING TRAINING
PROGRAMS FOR RESPONDING TO ANAPHYLAXIS IN ORDER TO AVOID DUPLICATIVE
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. SUCH PRE-EXISTING PROGRAM SHALL FULFILL THE
REQUIREMENT FOR A TRAINING COURSE PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION IF THE
STANDARDS OF SUCH PRE-EXISTING PROGRAM ARE DEEMED BY THE COMMISSIONER TO
BE AT LEAST AS STRINGENT AS THE STANDARDS PROMULGATED BY THE COMMISSION-
ER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRAINING COURSE BY THE STATE;
(c) a procedure and appropriate guidelines for the development of an
individualized emergency health care plan for children with a food or
other allergy which could result in anaphylaxis;
(d) a communication plan for intake and dissemination of information
PROVIDED BY THE STATE regarding children with a food or other allergy
which could result in anaphylaxis, INCLUDING A DISCUSSION OF METHODS,
TREATMENTS AND THERAPIES TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ALLERGIC REACTIONS,
INCLUDING ANAPHYLAXIS; [and]
(e) strategies for the reduction of the risk of exposure to anaphylac-
tic causative agents, including food and other allergens[.]; AND
(F) A COMMUNICATION PLAN FOR DISCUSSION WITH CHILDREN THAT HAVE DEVEL-
OPED ADEQUATE VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND WITH THE
A. 6971--B 3
PARENTS OR GUARDIANS OF ALL CHILDREN ABOUT FOODS THAT ARE SAFE AND
UNSAFE AND ABOUT STRATEGIES TO AVOID EXPOSURE TO UNSAFE FOOD.
3. [On or before June thirtieth, two thousand eight] AT LEAST ONCE PER
CALENDAR YEAR, SCHOOLS SHALL SEND A NOTIFICATION TO THE PARENTS AND/OR
GUARDIANS OF ALL CHILDREN UNDER THE CARE OF SUCH SCHOOLS TO MAKE THEM
AWARE OF SUCH ANAPHYLACTIC POLICIES, AS DEVELOPED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE CARE OF THE CHILD DAY CARE PROVIDERS, SUCH
NOTIFICATION SHALL BE PROVIDED BY THE CHILD DAY CARE PROVIDER WHEN THE
CHILD IS ENROLLED AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER. SUCH NOTIFICATIONS SHALL
INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS TO ENGAGE FURTHER
WITH THE SCHOOL OR CHILD DAY CARE PROVIDER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INDIVID-
UALIZED ASPECTS OF SUCH POLICIES.
4. WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CHAPTER OF THE LAWS
OF TWO THOUSAND NINETEEN WHICH AMENDED THIS SECTION, [an] THE anaphylac-
tic [policy] POLICIES ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS SECTION shall be jointly
forwarded by the commissioner [and]AS WELL AS the commissioner of educa-
tion OR THE COMMISSIONER OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES AS APPROPRIATE
to each local school board of education, charter school, [and] board of
cooperative educational services AND CHILD DAY CARE SERVICE PROVIDER, AS
DEFINED IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW, in
the state. Each such [board and charter school] ENTITY shall [consider
and take action in response to such] IMPLEMENT OR UPDATE AS APPROPRIATE
THEIR anaphylactic policy IN ACCORDANCE WITH THOSE DEVELOPED BY THE
STATE WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF RECEIVING THE ANAPHYLACTIC POLICIES.
5. THE ANAPHYLACTIC POLICIES ESTABLISHED BY THIS SECTION SHALL BE
UPDATED AT LEAST ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS, OR MORE FREQUENTLY IF THE
COMMISSIONER DETERMINES IT TO BE NECESSARY OR DESIRABLE FOR THE
PROTECTION OF CHILDREN WITH A FOOD ALLERGY OR OTHER ALLERGY WHICH COULD
RESULT IN ANAPHYLAXIS.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend-
ments to subdivision 3 of section 2500-h of the public health law made
by section one of this act shall take effect one year after this act
shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
completed on or before such effective date.