Smart, Healthy & Safe

Sandy is pictured here with members of The Junior League, an organization fighting to better the lives of children and women, at a press conference regarding school nutrition and Sandy's legislation to support children making better, more nutritious choices.

As a member of the Assembly's Health Committee, I am aware that there are many threats to our children's health and safety. I am committed to making sure our children are protected today, so that they can have bright and successful tomorrows.

Healthy Foods

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in our country and our state. We can lessen children's chances of developing any number of diseases by simply making sure that they have access to healthy food options. This past session I introduced A.6229 which will help assist youth in making educated choices when it comes to what foods are available to them. In particular, it requires that students have the nutritional information of all school foods available to them when they make their purchase. A.6900 calls for the replacement of junk food with healthier food and beverages in vending machines at schools, where students frequently buy snack foods.

Safe Driving

I am also greatly concerned with the dangers new and inexperienced teen drivers pose to themselves and others. For that reason, I was so pleased that A.8568B was signed by the Governor (Chapter 403 of 2010). This law completed numerous tasks in making sure that roadways are safer for all to drive. First, it increased the number of supervised driving hours before a person can take their road test from 20 to 50, including 15 hours supervised after sunset. Also, with regard to driver's permits, this law reduced the number of passengers under 21 who may travel with a permitted driver if they are not a family member from 2 to 1. This will make those learning to drive more focused on the road by having fewer potential distractions in the vehicle.

This year I am proud that I have introduced three bills that will further help to secure our roadways. The first of these is A.4252, which requires a holder of a learner's permit to display a sign on their vehicle stating that they are a new driver, to help alert other motorists to proceed cautiously. A.5680 requires that children up to sixteen years of age wear a safety belt even when in a rear seat. Finally, A.6477 requires all children under the age of eight to sit in the back seat. Research has proven that the back seat of a vehicle is a much safer place to sit for younger children who cannot brace for the impact of head-on-collisions or the impact of airbags. If passed, these bills will make roadways and driving safer for all.

One law that I strongly advocated for was the ban on texting while driving. On July 12, 2011, Governor Cuomo signed this into law (Chapter 109 of 2011). Prior to this, texting was only a secondary offense, meaning that a ticket could only be given if the driver was committing a primary offense as well, such as speeding. However, this law makes it a primary offense, allowing law enforcement to pull over drivers, who are distracted from the roads because of their cell phone use, while driving for the purposes of texting, playing games, browsing the internet, etc. This law will help ensure that drivers pay attention to the roads instead of focusing on their mobile devices. One of the major causes of traffic accidents in recent years has been cell phone distraction, and this law will hopefully reduce the number of accidents and save lives.

Safer Streets

While it is imperative that the safety of our drivers is addressed, I strongly believe in making roads safe for pedestrians and bicyclists as well. A bill my colleague Assemblyman David Gantt introduced, which I sponsored, to help achieve safer roadways for all, was signed into law by the Governor in 2011 (Chapter 398 of 2011). This legislation was introduced to help make roadways more conducive to pedestrians by encouraging the addition of sidewalks and crosswalks, and safer for bicyclists by providing additional improved bike lanes to help bicyclists avoid motor vehicle traffic. In addition to making streets safer, this bill will provide health benefits for all involved, by reducing air pollution and promoting healthier alternative forms of transportation, such as bicycling.

Smart Choices

We know the threat that smoking poses to a person's health, and we also know that the younger people are when they begin to smoke, the greater the risk they are taking with their own lives. With that in mind I want to make it much more difficult for children, teens and young adults to gain access to cigarettes and other tobacco products. This past year I introduced A.4863 in the Assembly to change the purchasing age of tobacco products from eighteen to nineteen in the State of New York. This is a measure that has already met with success in New Jersey, as well as Nassau, Onondaga and Suffolk counties. In addition, A.6451 would restrict individuals from smoking at playgrounds between sunrise and sunset where children under the age of 12 are present. This bill will help limit the damage that secondhand smoke can have on children.

The future success of New York is dependent upon our children, and all of us, having smart, healthy and safe lives. To learn more about these issues, please see the links below: