Bill Text: NY A00992 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to window coverings required in child day care centers; requires child day care centers to ensure that all window and door blind cords, ropes, wires and other strangulation hazards are secured and inaccessible to children in accordance with the regulations of the office of children and family services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-08 - substituted by s830 [A00992 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A00992-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           992

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 11, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Children and Families

        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to window coverings
          required in child day care centers

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Section  390-m  of the social services law, as added by a
     2  chapter of the laws of 2022 relating to establishing Brendan's law;  and
     3  amending  the  social services law relating to requiring cordless window
     4  coverings in child day care centers and  certain  other  facilities,  as
     5  proposed  in legislative bills numbers S. 6900 and A. 2150-A, is amended
     6  to read as follows:
     7    §  390-m.  [Cordless  window]  Window  coverings  [required].  1.  For
     8  purposes of this section the following terms shall have the meanings set
     9  forth below:
    10    (a)  "Beaded chain" means a cord with a series of small spheres, typi-
    11  cally made of metal or plastic.
    12    (b) "Cord loop" means a loop formed by an inner  cord  that  does  not
    13  diminish in size when the force used to create the loop is removed.
    14    (c) "Cordless window covering" means:
    15    (i) a horizontal blind or cellular shade that has no draw cord and the
    16  internal lift cord runs in the slats of the horizontal blind so that the
    17  cord  is  incapable  of forming a loop greater than 4 inches in diameter
    18  resulting in a 12-inch maximum circumference;
    19    (ii) a Roman shade, roll-up blind, or woven shade  that  has  no  draw
    20  cord and the lift cord is completely enclosed so that it is not accessi-
    21  ble;
    22    (iii)  a vertical blind that has a wand as its operating mechanism and
    23  does not contain any beaded chains, corded pulleys, or other  cord  loop
    24  operating mechanisms; and
    25    (iv) a roller shade that does not contain a cord or beaded chain.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04030-01-3
        A. 992                              2

     1    (d) "Draw cord" means any form of rope, strap, or string used to raise
     2  or lower a window covering.
     3    (e)  "Internal  lift  cord"  means a cord that is contained inside the
     4  body and rails of the blind or shade.
     5    (f) "Wand" means a rigid material used for manual operation.
     6    2. Any child day care center as defined in paragraph (c)  of  subdivi-
     7  sion  one  of section three hundred ninety of this title [or any author-
     8  ized agency as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision  ten  of  section
     9  three  hundred  seventy-one  of this title including any agency boarding
    10  home or group home] installing new or replacement window coverings shall
    11  install cordless window coverings or window coverings with  inaccessible
    12  operational and inner cords.
    13    3.  Any  child day care center as defined in paragraph (c) of subdivi-
    14  sion one of section three hundred ninety of this title [or  any  author-
    15  ized  agency  as  defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision ten of section
    16  three hundred seventy-one of this title including  any  agency  boarding
    17  home or group home] that has window coverings in place [prior to] on the
    18  effective  date  of  this  section,  shall  [meet  the  requirements  of
    19  ANSI/WCMA A 100.1-2018 or  any  successor  standard  thereto,  including
    20  standards for:
    21    (a)  Roman  shades,  roll-up  shades,  woven  shades,  and  all window
    22  coverings with exposed and unsecured cords;
    23    (b) horizontal blinds, cellular shades, and all window coverings  that
    24  have exposed draw cords for their operation; and
    25    (c)  vertical  blinds  and  other  window covering products with loops
    26  utilized in their operation] ensure  that  all  window  and  door  blind
    27  cords,  ropes,  wires  and  other  strangulation hazards are secured and
    28  inaccessible to children in  accordance  with  the  regulations  of  the
    29  office of children and family services.
    30    4.  If  a  [person]  child  day  care  center fails to comply with the
    31  requirements of subdivision three of this section, the [authorized agen-
    32  cy] office of children and family services may  require  replacement  of
    33  existing  window  coverings  with  cordless  window  coverings or window
    34  coverings with inaccessible operational and inner cords.
    35    § 2. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
    36  manner  as  a  chapter  of  the  laws  of  2022 relating to establishing
    37  Brendan's law; and amending the social services law relating to  requir-
    38  ing  cordless  window  coverings  in  child day care centers and certain
    39  other facilities, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.  6900  and
    40  A. 2150-A, takes effect.