STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5295
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- 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 prohibiting chil-
dren twelve years old and younger from playing tackle football
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "John Mack-
2 ey youth football protection act".
3 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2596 to
4 read as follows:
5 § 2596. Prohibition of tackle football. 1. No child twelve years old
6 or younger shall play, practice, or otherwise engage in organized tackle
7 football; provided however, that nothing within this section shall
8 prohibit children twelve years old and younger from playing, practicing,
9 or otherwise participating in any form of football which does not
10 involve tackling.
11 2. Any school, league or other entity whose purpose is to allow chil-
12 dren to participate in football, who allows children twelve years old or
13 younger to play, practice, or otherwise engage in tackle football shall
14 be liable for a civil penalty under the provisions of title two of arti-
15 cle one of this chapter.
16 3. For the purposes of this section:
17 (a) "Organized tackle football" shall include any practice, game or
18 other activity which involves engaging in tackle football and which is
19 organized by a school, or public or private league or other entity whose
20 purpose is to allow children to participate in contact football.
21 (b) "Tackle" shall mean to physically impede the forward movement of a
22 player who is in possession of the ball to the extent that:
23 (i) the player's forward movement is stopped and the player is unable
24 to resume such forward movement; or
25 (ii) the player is forced to touch some part of their body to the
26 ground other than the player's hands or feet.
27 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09312-01-5
