January 14, 2016
UNITED STATES - At the end of 2015, two counties in New York had further action on their laws banning chemicals in toys and children’s products.
Albany County, NY
On December 28th, the Albany County Legislature adopted Local Law P. Following a public hearing on this law, scheduled for January 19th, the county executive will decide whether to sign it. The law would replace Local Law J, which placed a ban on certain chemicals, and prescribes limits which are similar to the limits established by the Federal Government. There has been no statement by the Safe to Play Coalition about whether the new law will impact the litigation the county and coalition are involved in.
Rockland County, NY
On December 15th, the Rockland County Legislature rolled back their Local Law No. 3 banning seven chemicals by adopting an amended law that implements a financial penalty paid to the county for a violation of federal and state laws that control certain chemicals in children’s products, including toys. The law was signed by the County Executive on January 6th and delivered to the Rockland County Law Department for filing with the New York Secretary of State the following day. The amended law will take effect 30 days after its filing, but because the Secretary of State’s office has not yet confirmed the filing, the effective date is still pending. The amendment is a significant development because it is the first of the New York County level laws to be rolled back and it will result in the law causing no impact in the way that toys are manufactured or distributed in the county.