New York Assembly Bill A02842 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2842 2023-2024 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 27, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PHEFFER AMATO, COOK, SEAWRIGHT, SIMON, HEVESI, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, EPSTEIN, CRUZ, NORRIS, MORINELLO, McDONOUGH, MAMDANI, ANDERSON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SILLITTI, ZINERMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the water safety instruction working group; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 805 to 2 read as follows: 3 § 805. Water safety instruction working group. 1. The commissioner 4 shall establish a water safety instruction working group to study appro- 5 priate standards for curriculum on water safety instruction for students 6 in grades kindergarten through twelve in the state. 7 2. Such working group shall be composed of not more than fifteen indi- 8 viduals representing interested stakeholders, including: 9 a. the commissioner or their designee; 10 b. the commissioner of the department of health or their designee; 11 c. the commissioner of the division of homeland security and emergency 12 services or their designee; 13 d. individuals who represent not-for-profit water safety organiza- 14 tions; 15 e. experts in teaching students on swimming and water safety in 16 elementary school, middle school, and high school; 17 f. experts in training first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and 18 other water emergency-related responses; 19 g. school administrators who work at an elementary school, middle 20 school, or high school; 21 h. individuals who represent climate-related emergency preparation and 22 training, specifically for water-related disasters; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04804-02-3 
 A. 2842 2 1 i. any other stakeholder the commissioner deems necessary, including 2 but not limited to, community members who are underserved and dispropor- 3 tionately impacted by the current distribution of swimming resources in 4 public schools and who are most likely to be affected by water-related 5 disasters due to climate change. 6 3. Such working group shall meet on a regular basis and shall study 7 the options and best practices available and make recommendations for: 8 a. the need and appropriateness of swimming and water safety instruc- 9 tion in public schools, with particular consideration of water-related 10 climate change disasters and proper emergency responses and skills of 11 survival; 12 b. which agencies or organizations should inform the department on the 13 best standards for curriculum on water safety instruction; 14 c. the availability of swimming pools and other equipment needed to 15 provide water safety instruction in public schools; and 16 d. the fiscal implications to school districts if any proposed stand- 17 ards were implemented. 18 4. The working group established pursuant to subdivision one of this 19 section shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, 20 the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly no 21 later than twelve months after the effective date of this section. Such 22 report shall be made publicly available on the department's website. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 24 deemed repealed six months after the submission of the report by the 25 water safety instruction working group pursuant to section one of this 26 act; provided, however, that the commissioner of education shall notify 27 the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the 28 submission of the report by the water safety instruction working group 29 pursuant to section one of this act in order that the commission may 30 maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text 31 of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the 32 provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the 33 public officers law.