BILL NUMBER: S9748
SPONSOR: MANNION
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend chapter 756 of the laws of 2021, relating to creating a
temporary "commission to prevent childhood drowning" to improve water
safety in New York state, in relation to the effectiveness thereof
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to extend the temporary commission to
prevent childhood drowning and improve water safety in New York State.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill extends provisions relating to the commission to
prevent childhood drowning until December 22, 2025.
Section two is the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the United States Center of Disease Control From 2005-2014,
there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boat-
ing related) annually in the United States - about ten deaths per day.
An additional 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related
incidents.
About one in five people who die from drowninc are children 14 and youn-
ger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emer-
gency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. More than 50% of
drowning victims treated in emergency departments (EDs) require hospi-
talization or transfer for further care (compared with a hospitalization
rate of about 6% for all unintentional injuries). These nonfatal drown-
ing injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term
disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and perma-
nent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).
Research has also found that early swimming skills help. Taking part in
formal swimming lessons reduces the risk of drowning among children,
however, many people don't have basic swimming skills.
The American. Academy of Pediatrics recommends swim lessons for many
children starting at ace 1. The decision to start water-survival skills
training or swim lessons at an early age must be individualized on the
basis of the child's frequency of exposure to water, emotional maturity,
physical and cognitive limitations and health concerns related to swim-
ming pools.
A study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found
formal swimming lessons reduced the likelihood of childhood drowning by
This legislation would increase access to swim training programs and
hopefully prevent countless unnecessary tragedies.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately