Bill Text: NY S04082 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

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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 15-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S04082 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S04082-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4082
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     April 9, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sens.  SCHNEIDERMAN, ADAMS, BRESLIN, DIAZ, DUANE, FOLEY,
         HASSELL-THOMPSON,  KRUEGER,  MONTGOMERY,  ONORATO,  PERKINS,  SAMPSON,
         SAVINO, STAVISKY, THOMPSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
       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    S 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    S 3. The education law is amended by adding a new  section  3204-a  to
   19  read as follows:
   20    S  3204-A.  GUN  VIOLENCE  PREVENTION  PROGRAM.  1. THE DEPARTMENT, IN
   21  CONSULTATION WITH LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,  THE
   22  DIVISION  OF  CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES, THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
   23  CONSERVATION, AND ANY OTHER EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, IS AUTHORIZED AND
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00895-01-9
       S. 4082                             2
    1  DIRECTED TO DEVELOP AND MAKE AVAILABLE TO LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS  A  GUN
    2  VIOLENCE  PREVENTION  PROGRAM.    THE  PROGRAM  SHALL INCLUDE: PRACTICAL
    3  SKILLS WHICH STUDENTS CAN USE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM;  OPPORTUNITIES  FOR
    4  SELF-REFLECTION   AND  ROLE-PLAY  OF  STUDENTS'  COPING  MECHANISMS  AND
    5  EMOTIONS; STUDENT-SET GOALS FOR CHANGE; THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  COMPETENCY
    6  AND  LEADERSHIP  SKILLS  TO ADDRESS ISSUES WITH PEERS AND THE COMMUNITY;
    7  AND PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT IN THE PROGRAM.
    8    2. EVERY SCHOOL MAY  INSTRUCT  STUDENTS  IN  PRE-KINDERGARTEN  THROUGH
    9  TWELFTH  GRADE  WITH  RESPECT TO GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION USING MATERIALS
   10  PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR SUCH PURPOSE.  EACH  SCHOOL  ELECTING  TO
   11  PROVIDE  SUCH INSTRUCTION MAY REQUEST INFORMATION AND RESOURCES THEREFOR
   12  FROM THE DEPARTMENT PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE.
   13    3. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROVIDE A  REPORT  TO  THE  GOVERNOR  AND  THE
   14  LEGISLATURE  ON OR BEFORE JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN, ASSESSING THE
   15  RESULTS OF THE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM ESTABLISHED  PURSUANT  TO
   16  THE  PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION. THE REPORT SHALL INCLUDE FINDINGS AS TO
   17  THE PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON REDUCING GUNSHOT  INJURIES  AMONG  CHILDREN  AND
   18  ADOLESCENTS  AND  SHALL  OFFER  RECOMMENDATIONS  AS  TO  WHETHER THE GUN
   19  VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM SHOULD BE EXPANDED, MODIFIED, OR  ELIMINATED
   20  AND  WHETHER  OR  NOT  OTHER  GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS SHOULD BE
   21  AUTHORIZED.
   22    S 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
   23  it shall have become a law.