A04003 Summary:

BILL NOA04003
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORWright
 
COSPNSRRosenthal, Jaffee
 
MLTSPNSRColton, Lavine
 
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.
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A04003 Actions:

BILL NOA04003
 
01/28/2015referred to health
04/22/2015reported referred to ways and means
01/06/2016referred to health
01/21/2016reported referred to ways and means
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A04003 Memo:

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.
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A04003 Text:



 
                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.
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