Assembly Health Committee Passes 8 Bills - May 1, 2007

The Assembly Committee on Health, chaired by Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, passed the following bills today. Please contact the bill's sponsor, listed after the bills description, for more information.

• Day care air quality - Requires air quality and ventilation standards for day care centers. Bars day care centers from environmentally hazardous sites. (A.883-B, Englebright)

• Drug Overdose Prevention Act - Requires that health care professionals gather and the Health department publish information about deaths caused by drug overdose. (A.3842, Dinowitz)

• Skin cancer report - Requires the Department of Health to issue an annual report on skin cancer incidence statewide. (A.4650-A, Weisenberg)

• Flu shots for NICU parents - Requires hospitals to offer the flu vaccine to parents and caregivers of infants in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. (A.5475, Gottfried)

• Flavored cigarettes - Prohibits the sale of flavored cigarettes. Imposes a fine on retailers and manufacturers who violate the law. (A.7368, Paulin)

• Testing of cosmetics on animals - Prohibits animal eye or skin irritancy testing for cosmetics. (A.7401, Rosenthal) Prohibits such testing when federally-approved alternative methods are available. (A.7402, Rosenthal)

• Artificial night light - Requires the Department of Health to study the health effects of night-time artificial light. (A.7406, Rosenthal)

The Committee on Health is scheduled to meet again at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 in Room 823 of the Legislative Office Building. Please note that all committee meetings are subject to change. Please check time and location before the meeting.