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State Representative Matt Dean
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3018
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
NEWS RELEASE
CHILD SAFETY BILL PASSES KEY HOUSE COMMITTEE; HEADED FOR VOTE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR ~Bill would require CPR training and shaken infant awareness~
ST. PAUL – State Representative Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, is sponsoring a health care reform bill designed to improve child safety, both in day care centers and in their car seats.
“This is one of the few bills we can say is guaranteed to pass,” Dean said. “It provides reasonable and common sense child safety regulations.”
The bill would require that any child care center or family child care home must have at least one person present with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and obstructed airway training whenever children are being cared for. Individuals certified in CPR must be recertified at least once every three years. The bill also requires infant and child care providers to receive training in how to reduce the likelihood of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which claims 2,500 infant lives every year in the United States.
“Parents need to be confident that their children’s day care provider knows how to handle their child if they choke or need emergency breathing care,” Dean said.
The second major provision of the reform bill requires infant and child care providers to be trained in preventing shaken baby deaths. Every year, 1,200 infants are shaken to the point they require emergency medical care and 25 to 30 percent of them die as a result of their injuries. It also makes shaken baby awareness part of the training process for all licensed and non-licensed legal infant care providers.
Right now, all children ages 4 and under are required to be restrained in a child safety seat while riding in an automobile. The bill raises that age to 9-years-old. Child safety seats are urged by doctors and transportation experts and their correct use has been shown to significantly reduce child deaths and injuries in car crashes.
The bill also allows the Department of Human Services to conduct background checks on suspected individuals who may have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults. If the department finds just cause, it can disqualify a person from providing child care for 7 to 15 years, or permanently if the case requires. Often times, persons not directly associated with a licensed care program are left unsupervised with children. Dean said this provision is simply a “common sense way of making sure children aren’t unknowingly exposed to dangerous individuals.”
The bill passed the Health Policy and Finance Committee and will soon be heard on the House floor. The companion bill is being heard in the Senate Health and Family Security Committee. The full text and research summary of House File 1925 can be found at www.house.mn/52B under “Bills Chief Authored.”
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