NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4529A
SPONSOR: Benedetto TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to
prohibiting children thirteen years old and younger from playing tackle
football
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill will prohibit the playing of organized tackle football for
children age thirteen and younger.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC REVISIONS:
Article 25 of the public health law will be amended by adding a new
Title VII entitled YOUTH SPORT, Section 2595. Prohibition of tackle
football.
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. Prohibiting organized contact football in our youngest children
will better protect them from sustaining serious head injuries until
their bodies mature to a point where it will be safer for them to play.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4529--A
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2013
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BENEDETTO, GALEF, JAFFEE, ABINANTI, ROSENTHAL --
Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health -- recommitted to the Committee on Health in
accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting chil-
dren thirteen 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. 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. Prohibition of tackle football.
6 § 2595. Prohibition of tackle football. 1. (a) No child thirteen years
7 old or younger shall play, practice, or otherwise engage in organized
8 tackle football; provided however, that nothing within this section
9 shall prohibit children thirteen years old and younger from playing,
10 practicing, or otherwise participating in any form of football which
11 does not involve tackling.
12 (b) For the purposes of this section, "organized tackle football"
13 shall include any practice, game or other activity which involves engag-
14 ing in tackle football and which is organized by a school, adult, or
15 public or private league or other entity whose purpose is to allow chil-
16 dren to participate in contact football.
17 2. Any school, adult, or league or other entity whose purpose is to
18 allow children to participate in football, who allows children thirteen
19 years of age or younger to play, practice, or otherwise engage in tackle
20 football shall be liable for a civil penalty under the provisions of
21 title two of article one of this chapter.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03854-04-4
