Bill Text: NY S04666 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits children twelve years old and younger from playing tackle football.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S04666 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S04666-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4666

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

        AN  ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting chil-
          dren twelve years old and younger from playing tackle football

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "John Mack-
     2  ey youth football protection act".
     3    §  2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2596 to
     4  read as follows:
     5    § 2596. Prohibition of tackle football. 1. No child twelve  years  old
     6  or younger shall play, practice, or otherwise engage in organized tackle
     7  football;  provided  however,  that  nothing  within  this section shall
     8  prohibit children twelve years old and younger from playing, practicing,
     9  or otherwise participating in  any  form  of  football  which  does  not
    10  involve tackling.
    11    2.  Any school, league or other entity whose purpose is to allow chil-
    12  dren to participate in football, who allows children twelve years old or
    13  younger to play, practice, or otherwise engage in tackle football  shall
    14  be liable for a civil penalty under the provisions of title two of arti-
    15  cle one of this chapter.
    16    3. For the purposes of this section:
    17    (a)  "Organized  tackle  football" shall include any practice, game or
    18  other activity which involves engaging in tackle football and  which  is
    19  organized by a school, or public or private league or other entity whose
    20  purpose is to allow children to participate in contact football.
    21    (b) "Tackle" shall mean to physically impede the forward movement of a
    22  player who is in possession of the ball to the extent that:
    23    (i)  the player's forward movement is stopped and the player is unable
    24  to resume such forward movement; or
    25    (ii) the player is forced to touch some part of his or her body to the
    26  ground other than the player's hands or feet.
    27    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07963-01-3