Bill Text: NY A07164 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Provides for a gun violence prevention program in the public schools; provides that the program is to be developed by the department of education in conjunction with other state agencies and educational organizations and is to be made available to schools for use in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade; provides for a report to the governor and the legislature on the program; enacts the "gun violence prevention act".

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-04-25 - print number 7164a [A07164 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A07164-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7164--A
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                     April 27, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee  on  Education  --  recommitted  to  the Committee on Education in
          accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged,  bill
          amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
          tee
        AN ACT to amend the  education  law,  in  relation  to  creating  a  gun
          violence prevention program
          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  "gun
     2  violence prevention act".
     3    §  2.  Legislative intent. Gunshot injuries are a major cause of death
     4  for children and adolescents in the United States, accounting for twelve
     5  percent of all premature deaths. Further, for  every  young  person  who
     6  dies  as  the  result  of  a  gunshot  injury, five others are seriously
     7  injured by a gunshot. Concentrated efforts in  the  areas  of  drug  and
     8  alcohol abuse prevention have demonstrated that preventive education can
     9  reduce  risks  for  youth.  But  although there are many drug prevention
    10  programs, there are few gun violence prevention programs in existence.
    11    The intent of the legislature in enacting the "gun violence prevention
    12  act" is to implement a gun violence prevention program  for  school-aged
    13  youth  and  their  families  to  help  young  people  to  develop victim
    14  prevention skills and to rehearse behaviors needed to  manage  problems,
    15  such  as  conflict  and  peer pressure, non-violently, without guns. The
    16  program would not oppose gun ownership or  the  well-supervised  use  of
    17  guns for hunting or sport.
    18    §  3.  The  education law is amended by adding a new section 3204-a to
    19  read as follows:
    20    § 3204-a. Gun violence  prevention  program.  1.  The  department,  in
    21  consultation  with school districts, the department of health, the divi-
    22  sion of criminal  justice  services,  the  department  of  environmental
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00389-03-6
        A. 7164--A                          2
     1  conservation  and any other educational organizations, is authorized and
     2  directed to develop  and  make  available  to  school  districts  a  gun
     3  violence  prevention  program.    The  program  shall include: practical
     4  skills  which  students can use outside the classroom; opportunities for
     5  self-reflection  and  role-play  of  students'  coping  mechanisms   and
     6  emotions;  student-set  goals  for change; the development of competency
     7  and leadership skills to address issues with peers  and  the  community;
     8  and parental and community involvement and support in the program.
     9    2.  Every  school  may  instruct  students in pre-kindergarten through
    10  twelfth grade with respect to gun violence  prevention  using  materials
    11  provided  by  the  department  for such purpose. Each school electing to
    12  provide such instruction may request information and resources  therefor
    13  from the department pursuant to this article.
    14    3.  The  department  shall  provide  a  report to the governor and the
    15  legislature on or before July first, two  thousand  eighteen,  assessing
    16  the  results of the gun violence prevention program established pursuant
    17  to the provisions of this section. The report shall include findings  as
    18  to  the program's impact on reducing gunshot injuries among children and
    19  adolescents and shall  offer  recommendations  as  to  whether  the  gun
    20  violence  prevention program should be expanded, modified or eliminated,
    21  and whether or not other gun  violence  prevention  programs  should  be
    22  authorized.
    23    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    24  it shall have become a law.