Bill Text: NY S00329 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides for the protection of the air quality at licensed day care centers and head start day care centers funded pursuant to federal law; requires the office of children and family services to consult with the commissioners of environmental conservation and health regarding the air quality and environmental hazards that may be involved with any new day care center or head start day care center; requires such office to consult with the department of health if any new environmental or environmental health hazard arises.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-20 - COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES [S00329 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-S00329-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 329 2009-2010 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E (PREFILED) January 7, 2009 ___________ Introduced by Sens. BRESLIN, ADAMS, DILAN, DUANE, HASSELL-THOMPSON, KRUEGER, KRUGER, MONTGOMERY, ONORATO, OPPENHEIMER, PARKER, SAMPSON, SAVINO, SCHNEIDERMAN, SMITH, STACHOWSKI, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services, Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, the environmental conservation law and the public health law, in relation to the protection of air quality for day care centers THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds and declares that 2 it shall be the policy of the state of New York to provide every child 3 with an environmentally safe and healthy learning environment in which 4 to grow, learn and mature into productive and healthy adults. To ensure 5 that day care facilities provide this setting for our children, the 6 legislature finds that standards for day care facilities must be protec- 7 tive of children's environmental health and safety. Children are unique- 8 ly vulnerable to and may be severely affected by exposure to chemicals, 9 hazardous wastes and other environmental hazards, which affect their 10 learning abilities as well as create chemical-based responses and sensi- 11 tivities. It is the purpose of this legislation to reduce as much as 12 possible such exposures for children and day care facility staff. 13 S 2. Section 390-a of the social services law is amended by adding 14 three new subdivisions 5, 6 and 7 to read as follows: 15 5. (A) NO LICENSE SHALL BE ISSUED OR RENEWED FOR A CHILD DAY CARE 16 CENTER AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY OF THIS TITLE, OR A 17 HEAD START DAY CARE CENTER FUNDED PURSUANT TO TITLE V OF THE FEDERAL 18 ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT OF NINETEEN HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR, AS AMENDED, IF 19 THE BUILDING OR ITS OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL AREA WOULD BE ADVERSELY 20 IMPACTED DUE TO ITS PROXIMITY TO EXISTING AND KNOWN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03590-01-9 S. 329 2 1 HAZARDS, INCLUDING INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES, COMBUSTION FACILITIES, INAC- 2 TIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES, HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE SITES, MUNICIPAL OR 3 COMMERCIAL LANDFILLS, AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARDS SUCH AS 4 RADON, LEAD, CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER TOXIC CONTAMINANTS AS 5 DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND HEALTH. 6 (B) THE COMMISSIONER OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES SHALL CONSULT 7 WITH THE COMMISSIONERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND HEALTH PRIOR TO 8 THE APPROVAL OF ANY NEW SITE FOR A CHILD DAY CARE CENTER OR HEAD START 9 DAY CARE CENTER TO ENSURE THAT SUCH FACILITY OR ITS OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL 10 AREA WILL NOT BE ADVERSELY IMPACTED DUE TO ITS PROXIMITY TO ANY EXISTING 11 AND KNOWN ENVIRONMENTAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARDS. 12 6. (A) NO LICENSE SHALL BE ISSUED TO A NEW CHILD DAY CARE CENTER OR 13 NEW HEAD START DAY CARE CENTER UNLESS THE BUILDING SHALL PROVIDE FOR THE 14 FOLLOWING WHERE APPLICABLE: HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING 15 SYSTEMS THAT MEET CURRENTLY ACCEPTED INDUSTRY VENTILATION STANDARDS; 16 PLACEMENT OF AIR INTAKE VENTS SO AS TO MAXIMIZE HEALTHFUL INDOOR AIR 17 QUALITY; DESIGN PRACTICES THAT MINIMIZE INGRESS OF AND CONDITIONS FAVOR- 18 ABLE TO PEST POPULATIONS; CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND VENTILATION 19 SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE RADON LEVELS IN INDOOR AIR; AND OTHER 20 MEASURES NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN HEALTHFUL, SAFE AND COMFORTABLE CONDI- 21 TIONS THEREIN. 22 (B) CHILD DAY CARE CENTERS OR HEAD START DAY CARE CENTERS WHICH ARE 23 LICENSED PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION AND WHICH DO 24 NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, SHALL 25 MEET SUCH REQUIREMENTS WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM THE RENEWAL DATE OF THEIR 26 LICENSE, OTHERWISE SUCH LICENSE SHALL NOT BE RENEWED. 27 7. IN THE EVENT THAT ANY NEW ENVIRONMENTAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 28 HAZARD IS IDENTIFIED DUE TO ITS PROXIMITY TO A CHILD DAY CARE CENTER OR 29 HEAD START DAY CARE CENTER, THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES 30 SHALL REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF SUCH 31 HAZARD ON THE CHILD DAY CARE CENTER OR HEAD START DAY CARE CENTER, AND 32 IF THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARD IS FOUND TO HAVE 33 AN IMPACT, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SHALL REQUIRE SUCH FACILITY CREATING 34 SUCH NEW ENVIRONMENTAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARD TO REMEDIATE THE 35 HAZARD WITHIN NINETY DAYS WITHOUT ANY ADVERSE ACTION UPON THE LICENSE OR 36 LICENSE RENEWAL OF THE CHILD DAY CARE CENTER OR HEAD START DAY CARE 37 CENTER. 38 S 3. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new 39 section 3-0319 to read as follows: 40 S 3-0319. INFORMATION FOR THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES. 41 PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY-A OF THE 42 SOCIAL SERVICES LAW THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ANNUALLY PROVIDE ALL NECESSARY 43 INFORMATION TO THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES REGARDING 44 EXISTING AND KNOWN LOCATIONS OF EXISTING AND KNOWN ENVIRONMENTAL 45 HAZARDS, INCLUDING INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES, COMBUSTION FACILITIES, INAC- 46 TIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES, HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE SITES, MUNICIPAL OR 47 COMMERCIAL LANDFILLS, AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARDS SUCH AS 48 RADON, LEAD, CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER TOXIC CONTAMINANTS AS 49 DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. WHENEVER THE 50 OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES REQUESTS SUCH INFORMATION FROM 51 THE DEPARTMENT, SUCH INFORMATION SHALL BE PROVIDED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF 52 RECEIPT OF SUCH REQUEST. 53 S 4. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 201-a to 54 read as follows: 55 S 201-A. INFORMATION FOR THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES. 56 PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY-A OF THE S. 329 3 1 SOCIAL SERVICES LAW, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ANNUALLY PROVIDE ALL NECESSARY 2 INFORMATION TO THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES REGARDING 3 EXISTING AND KNOWN LOCATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARDS SUCH AS 4 RADON, LEAD, CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER TOXIC CONTAMINANTS. 5 WHENEVER THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES REQUESTS SUCH INFOR- 6 MATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT, SUCH INFORMATION SHALL BE PROVIDED WITHIN 7 THIRTY DAYS OF RECEIPT OF SUCH REQUEST. 8 S 5. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 9 have become a law.