Requires health clubs with a membership of 50 or more to have at least 1 automated external defibrillator on the premises which is accessible to the staff, members and guests.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2338
SPONSOR: Wallace TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to the requirement
that certain health clubs shall have at least one automated external
defibrillator available upon the premises
PURPOSE:
To help ensure the health and safety of patrons of health clubs by
requiring certain health clubs to have at least one automated external
defibrillator on the premises which is accessible to the staff, members
and guests.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends section 627-a of the General Business Law to require
health clubs with fifty members or more to have at least one automated
external defibrillator on the premise in a manner that provides obvious
and ready accessibility to staff, members, and guest.
Section two provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The bill would require health clubs with fifty members or more to have
at least one AED on the premises and ensure that the AED is available in
a manner that provides obvious and ready accessibility to staff, members
and guests. This requirement would ensure a higher level of safety for
thousands of individuals who belong to health clubs.
The cost of AEDs has decreased since this law was originally enacted and
as a result, it is pertinent to the health and safety of New York resi-
dents who use health clubs are afforded AEDs, if needed. Moreover, AEDs
have become increasingly user friendly and easy to use. Over the last
ten years the number of health clubs in New York State has also
increased which is why it is crucial to lower the membership requirement
to 50 persons for a health club to be required to have an AED on its
premise. Because health clubs are places where individuals raise their
heart rates through physical exercise, the chance of cardiac arrest
increases.
In recognition of the increasing risk of cardiac arrest at health clubs
and the effectiveness of readily accessible automated external defibri-
lators in saving lives, it is in the best interest to require health
clubs with fifty members of more to have an AED on their premises as
having an AED on hand could save a life.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2017-2018: A.10938 - Referred to Health
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect one hundred and eighty days after enactment.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2338
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WALLACE -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Health
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to the requirement
that certain health clubs shall have at least one automated external
defibrillator available upon the premises
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 627-a of the general business law,
2 as amended by chapter 31 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 1. Every health club as defined under paragraph b of subdivision one
5 of section three thousand-d of the public health law whose membership is
6 [five hundred] fifty persons or more shall have available on the prem-
7 ises in a manner that provides obvious and ready accessibility to staff,
8 members and guests at least one automated external defibrillator and
9 shall have in attendance, at all times during staffed business hours, at
10 least one individual performing employment or individual acting as an
11 authorized volunteer who holds a valid certification of completion of a
12 course in the study of the operation of AEDs and a valid certification
13 of the completion of a course in the training of cardiopulmonary resus-
14 citation provided by a nationally recognized organization or associ-
15 ation.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
17 it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00380-01-9
