What's happening
This bill requires hospitals, birth centers, and pediatricians to provide parents with information about window blind safety to help prevent child strangulation.
Why it matters
Expands distribution of child safety information. The bill ensures all parents of infants—not just new mothers at birth centers or hospitals, but also those visiting pediatricians for their baby's six-month checkup—receive crucial window blind safety information, increasing the likelihood that families are reached.
Targets a hidden household hazard. By mandating specific content on the dangers of window blinds, including current safety standards and installation guidelines, the law addresses a lesser-known but significant risk of child injury or death, equipping parents to make safer choices at home.
Promotes consistent, statewide education. The requirement for the Department of Health to provide standardized leaflets means all parents, regardless of where they live or receive care in New York, will get the same vetted safety information, reducing disparities in knowledge about this preventable danger.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Warn Parents About Blind Dangers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by A3840
- Ordered to third reading cal.820
- Reported and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- 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.
Warn Parents About Blind Safety
Signed by Governor · Sponsor John T. McDonald III
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4181
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 4, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SALAZAR -- 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 Assembly, 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 definitions of maternity related procedures and practices as specified in subdivision two of this section and such other material as deemed appropriate 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 information 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 regarding 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.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00511-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
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 informa- tional 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 chord- sof 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%), 4-year-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 safe- ty. Such information will include proper installation of blinds, exam- ples of current national standards and the fatal consequences from strangulation posed by window blinds.
Prior legislative history
2015-2016 (A5804/S5466) 2017-2018 (A2914/S1868)
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.