Add S25, Pub Health L; add S401-c, V & T L; add S81, St Fin L
 
Establishes the save our sight program and the save our sight fund to promote vision health and safety for children; targets children with amblyopia for support regarding such children's vision; provides for information to be disseminated by the department of motor vehicles and for voluntary contributions to the fund.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A4003
SPONSOR: Wright (MS)
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, the vehicle and traffic law and
the state finance law, in relation to establishing the save our sight
program and the save our sight fund
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To educate and promote safe and preventive vision care among children.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one adds a new Article 27-L to the public Health law which
establishes a program to promote and educate children on proper vision
care to prevent potential vision problems.
Section two of the bill adds a new section 224-b to the vehicle and
traffic law to establish a program whereby individuals applying for or
renewing car registrations or applying for or renewing their license are
asked to voluntarily contribute $1 to the save our sight fund.
Section three of the legislation adds a new section 92-ee to the state
finance law to establish a "save our sight fund" to fund the vision care
program established within the Department of Health.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
This legislation is necessary to ensure that children and parents
receive appropriate education regarding proper eye care. Without proper
vision care, a child's ability to learn and a teenager's ability to
drive safely are significantly impaired. This legislation recognizes the
need for early intervention and screening for eye problems to prevent
future eye difficulties.
According to Prevent Blindness America, vision problems affect one in 20
preschoolers and one in four school-age children. Since vision problems
begin at an early age, it is imperative that children receive proper
vision care. Left untreated, eye problems can worsen and lead to other
serious problems such as learning difficulties as well as driver safety
concerns. Approximately SO% of children under the age of six (aver 1.3
million New York children) are not being screened for visual problems
before they enter school, putting them at risk for not only sustaining
permanent damage to their eyes, but also starting their academic careers
less than 100% ready to learn. These problems present a compelling need
to promote proper early detection of vision problems.
This legislation will establish, similar to Florida, Texas and Ohio, a
voluntary fund which will be administered by the Department of Health to
support programming and services that will focus on detection and
prevention of eye problems in children. Such programs will include
establishment of a targeted voluntary case management system to deter-
mine whether children with amblyopia are receiving proper vision care,
training for teachers, parents and other leaders in schools to find
vision problems early on and have the child seek appropriate treatment;
and establishing a grant program for the purchase and distribution of
protective eye wear for children.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2013-2014: A4057
2012; 3427-A:
2007: A.8760A
2007: A.8760/S.4152
2005-06: A.10518/No same as
2003-04: A.5666/S.1940
2001-02: A.9920/No same as
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4003
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 28, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WRIGHT, ROSENTHAL, JAFFEE -- Multi-Sponsored by
-- M. of A. COLTON, LAVINE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, the vehicle and traffic law and
the state finance law, in relation to establishing the save our sight
program and the save our sight fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 25
2 to read as follows:
3 § 25. Save our sight program. The commissioner, in consultation with
4 the commissioner of motor vehicles, is hereby authorized and directed to
5 establish within the department, a save our sight program. Such program
6 shall:
7 1. provide support to nonprofit organizations that offer vision
8 screening and education services;
9 2. implement a voluntary children's vision screening training and
10 certification program for volunteers, child day-care providers, nurses,
11 teachers, health care professionals practicing in primary care settings
12 and for other persons serving children;
13 3. develop and implement a registry and targeted voluntary case
14 management system to determine whether children with amblyopia are
15 receiving professional eye care and to provide parents and legal guardi-
16 ans of children with amblyopia with information and support regarding
17 such children's vision;
18 4. establish a matching grant program for the purchase and distrib-
19 ution of protective eyewear to children;
20 5. provide vision health and safety programs and materials to class-
21 rooms; and
22 6. for the purposes of section four hundred one-c of the vehicle and
23 traffic law, to develop materials on the importance of eye care and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05188-01-5
A. 4003 2
1 safety and to deliver such materials to the commissioner of motor vehi-
2 cles for distribution pursuant to section four hundred one-c of the
3 vehicle and traffic law.
4 § 2. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section
5 401-c to read as follows:
6 § 401-c. Save our sight program; voluntary contribution. In addition
7 to the fees collected pursuant to this article, every application for
8 registration or renewal registration of a motor vehicle and every appli-
9 cation for an operator's license or for renewal thereof shall provide an
10 option to the owner of the vehicle being registered or applicant to make
11 a one-dollar voluntary contribution to the save our sight fund estab-
12 lished pursuant to section eighty-one of the state finance law. The
13 commissioner shall collect such additional one dollar from any person
14 who opts to contribute to such fund. The commissioner shall also make
15 available to every person applying for registration or renewal registra-
16 tion of a motor vehicle and every application for an operator's license
17 or for renewal thereof materials on the importance of eye care and safe-
18 ty provided by the commissioner of health pursuant to section twenty-
19 three of the public health law. The commissioner shall forward all
20 moneys received pursuant to the provisions of this section to the comp-
21 troller for deposit into the save our sight fund established pursuant to
22 section eighty-one of the state finance law.
23 § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 81 to
24 read as follows:
25 § 81. Save our sight fund. 1. There is hereby established in the
26 custody of the state comptroller, a fund to be known as the save our
27 sight fund.
28 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys appropriated for the purpose
29 of such fund, all moneys transferred to such fund pursuant to law and
30 all moneys required to be paid to the credit of such fund pursuant to
31 section four hundred one-c of the vehicle and traffic law.
32 3. Moneys of the fund shall be available for appropriation and allo-
33 cation only to the commissioner of health for the purposes of carrying
34 out the provisions of section twenty-three of the public health law and
35 section four hundred one-c of the vehicle and traffic law.
36 4. Moneys of the fund, when available, shall be paid out on the audit
37 and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by the
38 commissioner of health or by an officer or employee of the department of
39 health designated by such commissioner.
40 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.