Requires children to wear helmets with chin straps and prohibits children thirteen years old and younger from head first sliding while participating in organized baseball.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5766
SPONSOR: Benedetto TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to
requiring children to wear helmets with chin straps while batting and
running bases and prohibiting children thirteen years old and younger
from head first sliding while participating in organized baseball
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill will require children to wear helmets with chin straps while
batting and running bases and prohibit children thirteen and younger
from head first sliding while participating in organized baseball.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC REVISIONS:
ARTICLE 25 OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW TITLE:
VII ENTITLE:D YOUTH SPORTS, SECTION 2595. YOUTH BASEBALL.
JUSTIFICATION:
Research over the last decade has shown that concussions and sub concus-
sive blows have a negative impact on brain development in young chil-
dren. Requiring our youngest children to wear a helmet while batting and
running bases, as well as prohibiting head first sliding, will better
protect them from sustaining serious head injuries until their bodies
mature to a point where it will be safer to perform such an action.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.5757 in 2015/2016
A.8572 in 2014
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5766
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 15, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BENEDETTO -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring children
to wear helmets with chin straps while batting and running bases and
prohibiting children thirteen years old and younger from head first
sliding while participating in organized baseball
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a
2 new title 7 to read as follows:
3 TITLE VII
4 YOUTH SPORTS
5 Section 2595. Youth baseball.
6 § 2595. Youth baseball. 1. (a) Any child participating in organized
7 baseball shall wear a helmet with a chin strap while batting and running
8 the bases while engaging in such organized baseball.
9 (b) No child thirteen years old or younger shall engage in head first
10 sliding while participating in organized baseball; provided however,
11 that nothing within this section shall prohibit children thirteen years
12 old and younger from playing, practicing, or otherwise participating in
13 any form of baseball which does not involve head first sliding.
14 (c) For the purposes of this section, "organized baseball" shall
15 include any practice, game or other activity which involves engaging in
16 baseball and which is organized by a school, adult, or public or private
17 league or other entity whose purpose is to allow children to participate
18 in baseball.
19 2. Any school, adult, or league or other entity whose purpose is to
20 allow children to participate in baseball who allows children to bat and
21 run the bases without wearing a helmet with a chin strap or who allows
22 children thirteen years of age or younger to engage in head first slid-
23 ing while playing, practicing, or otherwise engaging in baseball shall
24 be liable for a civil penalty under the provisions of title two of arti-
25 cle one of this chapter.
26 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09806-01-7
