The exterior of the Pennsylvania state Capitol. (Photo by Amanda Mustard for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star).
With child care being the theme of Wednesday’s meeting, a state House committee unanimously advanced a measure to require the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in child care centers and family child care homes across the commonwealth.
House Bill 156, sponsored by state Rep. Jeanne McNeill (D-Lehigh) would amend the Human Services Code by adding language to mandate them.
“I want to emphasize that this bill is very near and dear to my heart,” McNeill, chair of the House Children & Youth Committee, said on Wednesday.
McNeill has been trying to find traction on the legislation since 2021.
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While calling for support, McNeill referred to a 2022 carbon monoxide leak at an Allentown day care that resulted in more than two dozen children and several adults taken to hospitals.
“I was heartbroken knowing that we could have prevented this with the bill, if it had been passed when I first introduced it,” McNeill said on Wednesday.
A co-sponsorship memo cites statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and writes that “detecting the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning is more challenging” when it comes to children.
The panel also unanimously backed an amendment adding clarifying language related to the location and installation of the carbon monoxide alarms in the facilities.
State Rep. Kate Klunk, Minority Chair of the House Children & Youth Committee, applauded the moves for giving the providers the specific information needed to follow the protocol.
The proposal is also backed by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Trying Together and First Up, while the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services were neutral on the legislation.
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