Several new state laws are set to take effect in New York this month.
The new laws cover a wide range of topics, including mammogram screenings for incarcerated New Yorkers, water safety education and outreach programs, reducing job site injuries and protecting New York children’s online data.
Here’s a look at four new laws taking effect in New York in June.
Mammogram screenings
This new law requires state and local correctional facilities to offer free, routine mammogram screenings to incarcerated New Yorkers every two years.
The correctional facilities are also required to provide educational programs focused on preventative health measures, like self-examinations.
The bill, titled the Eleonora Legacy Act, is named after Eleonora Radovan, a breast cancer awareness advocate who succumbed to the disease in 1999.
Water safety education
This new law requires the state Health Department to create a public awareness campaign about the dangers of fatal and non-fatal drowning.
The campaign is to include the unique risk factors and exposures associated with infant and early childhood drowning, childhood and teenage drowning, adult drowning and the disparate risk of drowning on underserved communities and individuals with developmental disabilities.
It will also include methods to reduce the risks of drowning, including water safety instruction and swim lessons.
Job site injuries
This new law established the warehouse worker injury reduction program, which requires employers to identify and minimize any risks of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, while providing injury reduction training to all employees.
“Each job shall have a written work site evaluation by a qualified ergonomist which shall include worker recommendations on risk factors and changes to be made to reduce risk,” according to the legislation.
Protecting children’s data
This new law, the New York Child Data Protection Act, prohibits online sites from collecting, using, sharing or selling personal data for anyone under the age of 18, unless they receive informed consent or unless doing so is strictly necessary for the purpose of the website.
This bill also authorizes the Office of the Attorney General to enforce the law and may enjoin, seek damages, or civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation. It also authorizes the Office of the Attorney General to enforce the law, including by seeking civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
“Right now, there’s nothing stopping websites or other digital services from monitoring every minute detail of our children’s online lives, creating profiles of every decision our children make or avoid. This information can be used against our children’s interests, including by precisely crafting and targeting advertisements children are uniquely ill-suited to resist, or by haunting children with records of teenage experiences as they move from childhood to adulthood,” according to the State Senate website.