What's happening
This bill prohibits most pesticide use at children's overnight and summer day camps, allowing only specific exceptions and emergency use.
Why it matters
Expands protections for children by minimizing their exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. the bill prohibits pesticide use at most children's camps, except for specific low-risk products (like boric acid, certain oils, or baits in tamper-proof containers), reflecting growing concern about the health impacts of pesticides on developing bodies.
Requires emergency use to be tightly controlled and documented. in the event of an urgent pest problem, camps can only apply pesticides following approval from health authorities (or if no response in 24 hours, with immediate documentation), ensuring transparency and accountability for any exceptions.
Encourages the adoption of safer pest management practices. by mandating guidance and support for pesticide alternatives, the bill pushes camps to adopt integrated pest management or other non-chemical solutions, potentially setting a precedent for broader environmental stewardship in child-centric settings.
Creates a process for exemptions only when alternatives are impracticable. the health commissioner can grant exemptions if non-chemical methods truly won't work, but this is a high bar, reinforcing the bill’s intent to sharply limit pesticide exposure in children's camp environments.
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Who cares
Children’s overnight, summer day and non-regulated camp operators
The bill would prohibit pesticide applications on playgrounds, turf and playing fields, with specified product exclusions, emergency exceptions and a carveout for publicly owned or leased property in cities of more than one million.
Certified pesticide applicators
Camps could hire them for a single emergency application if an approval request goes unanswered for twenty-four hours, with documentation required immediately afterward.
County health departments
They would review emergency pesticide application requests and receive documentation of applications made after requests go unanswered.
State health and environmental conservation officials
They would have emergency approval roles, the health commissioner could grant impracticability exemptions to overnight and summer day camps, and pesticide-alternative guidance would expand to cover the new restrictions.
Headline styles
Ban Pesticides at Kids' Camps
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
26 Co-sponsors
- Sandy Galef
- Steven Englebright
- Dan Quart
- Kenneth Zebrowski
- Vivian Cook
- Thomas Abinanti
- Linda Rosenthal
- William Colton
- David Weprin
- Steven Otis
- Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Fred Thiele
- Jo Anne Simon
- Richard Gottfried
- Donna Lupardo
- N. Nick Perry
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Marcos Crespo
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Judy Griffin
- Felix Ortiz
- Phil Steck
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Robert C. Carroll
- Rebecca Seawright
- Karines Reyes
History
- Amended on third reading 1051a
- Ordered to third reading cal.49
- Advanced to third reading cal.52
- Reported
- Reported referred to codes
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Pesticides at Kids’ Camps
In Senate Committee · Health · Sponsor David Carlucci
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1051--A Cal. No. 49
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, GALEF, ENGLEBRIGHT, QUART, ZEBROWSKI, COOK, ABINANTI, L. ROSENTHAL, COLTON, WEPRIN, OTIS, DINOWITZ, THIELE, SIMON, GOTTFRIED, LUPARDO, PERRY, JAFFEE, CRESPO, FERNANDEZ, GRIFFIN, ORTIZ, STECK, JACOBSON, CARROLL, SEAWRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health -- ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the public health law and the environmental conservation law, in relation to prohibiting the use of pesticides at children's overnight or summer day camp
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 1396 of the public health law is renumbered section 1397 and a new section 1396 is added to read as follows:
§ 1396. Pesticide alternatives. 1. For purposes of this section "pesticide" shall have the same meaning as set forth in subdivision thirty-five of section 33-0101 of the environmental conservation law, provided however that it shall not include:
(a) the application of anti-microbial pesticides and anti-microbial products as defined by FIFRA in 7 U.S.C. Section 136 (mm) and 136 q (h) (2);
(b) the use of an aerosol product with a directed spray, in containers of eighteen fluid ounces or less, when used to protect individuals from an imminent threat from stinging and biting insects, including venomous spiders, bees, wasps and hornets;
(c) the use of non-volatile insect or rodent bait in a tamper resistant container;
(d) the application of a pesticide classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an exempt material under 40 CFR Part 152.25;
(e) the use of boric acid and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate; or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00602-04-0
A. 1051--A 2
(f) the use of horticultural soap and oils that do not contain synthetic pesticides or synergists.
2. No camp defined in subdivisions one and two of section thirteen hundred ninety-two of this article, or children's non-regulated camp defined in section three hundred ninety-eight-f of the general business law, shall apply pesticide to any playgrounds, turf, athletic or playing fields, other than those on publicly-owned or publicly-leased property in a city of more than one million, except that an emergency application of a pesticide may be made as determined by the county health department or for a county not having a health department, such authority as the county legislature shall designate, the commissioner or his or her designee or the commissioner of environmental conservation or his or her designee. If a response to a request for an emergency application of pesticide is not received by a camp within twenty-four hours, such camp may contract with a pesticide applicator certified under section 33-0905 of the environmental conservation law for a single application of pesticide, provided that the camp submit documentation of the emergency pesticide application to the county health department or the commissioner immediately thereafter. Such documentation shall include an explanation of the emergency, the date on which the camp requested approval for an emergency application of pesticide, the date and time the pesticide was applied, the pesticide or pesticides applied, and the name of the certified pesticide applicator who applied the pesticide.
3. The commissioner shall have the power to exempt from this section any camp defined in subdivisions one and two of section thirteen hundred ninety-two of this article to the extent that it is not practicable to use pesticide alternatives as defined in subdivision one of this section.
§ 2. Subdivision 7 of section 33-0303 of the environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 85 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
7. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of education and the commissioner of health, shall develop guidance on pesticide alternatives to facilitate compliance with section four hundred nine-k of the education law [and], three hundred ninety-g of the social services law and thirteen hundred ninety-six of the public health law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the department of health and the department of environmental conservation may promulgate any rule or regulation necessary for the timely implementation of this act on its effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.