BILL NUMBER: S7651
SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring the commissioner
of labor to develop instructional tools and materials for industries at
high-risk for occupational tick exposures
 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:
To develop instructional tools and materials for industries at high-risk
for occupational tick exposures to provide information on the identifi-
cation of ticks, best practices to provide protections from ticks and
recommended procedures for safe tick removal.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Adds a new subdivision 17 to Section 21 of the Labor Law to
develop instructional tools and materials for industries at high-risk
for occupational tick exposures.
§ 2: Effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the most recent reporting by the Center for Disease Control
(CDC), New York State has the highest number of confirmed cases of Lyme
Disease in the entire country. It is all too common for families to be
affected, or know someone who has been affected by Lyme, many of whom
never fully recover. While there is great debate throughout the medical
community regarding how best to treat Lyme, it is commonly accepted that
early education and prevention are key to controlling the spread of the
disease.
Certain occupations have a higher risk of exposure to ticks. This bill
would require the Commissioner of the Department of Labor, in consulta-
tion with the Commissioner of the Department of Health and the Commis-
sioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, to develop
instructional tools and materials for industries at high-risk for occu-
pational tick exposures. These materials will provide information on the
identification of ticks, best practices to provide protection from ticks
and recommended procedures for safe tick removal and be provided to
high-risk employers and employees upon request at no charge.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S7651: 21 labor law