Rochester, NY – Today, the New York State Assembly unanimously passed Bryce’s Law (A.7506). This legislation requires grease traps at food service establishments to be designed to withstand expected loads and prevent unauthorized access. On July 15, 2019, 3-year-old Bryce Raynor fell through an unsecured plastic lid that covered an underground grease trap outside of Tim Hortons. Although he was pulled from the grease trap minutes later, he did not survive. This legislation will help prevent future tragedies like this one by creating guidelines for grease traps and interceptors that are located in public areas and making them safer for the public.

Assemblywoman Sarah Clark said, “As a mom of three, I was overwhelmed by the unfathomable tragedy experienced by the Raynor family in 2019. With better protocols in place, this could have been prevented. We must do more to protect the public and enhance workplace safety. These provisions enacted by this legislation are common sense measures. Bryce’s Law will go a long way to ensure this type of tragedy will never happen again in our community and throughout New York State. I want to thank County Clerk Jamie Romeo for her leadership on this legislation and am very grateful to get this passed in the Assembly.

“I want to thank Assemblywoman Clark for her continued work on this bill,” said Monroe County Clerk Jamie Romeo, “and while this is an important step to create greater workplace safety and accountability, my heart is very heavy today. An unimaginable tragedy led us to this piece of legislation, Bryce’s Law. As a mom, my heart and thoughts continue to go out to Bryce’s mother and family, may this piece of legislation carry on in his name and memory. A few seconds created a lifetime of unspeakable pain, but with this legislation, we can take an important step towards preventing another tragedy in the future. I urge the State Senate and Governor Cuomo to pass and sign Bryce’s Law.”

Bryce’s Law (A.7506), was originally introduced in 2019 by then-Assemblywoman Jamie Romeo and was reintroduced by Assemblywoman Sarah Clark in 2021. It requires that any food service establishment with a grease trap or interceptor ensures that the grease trap or interceptor can withstand expected loads and prevent unauthorized access, that a grease trap or interceptor must have a warning sign or symbol that is posted and displayed, and to ensure their safety, grease traps must meet fire prevention and building code standards. The public water and sewer authority will make specifications for their exterior manhole covers.