In August, Kathleen Leeson of Montgomery Village walked into her two-year-old son's bedroom and found him strangling in cords to the blinds over his window.

"It's beyond sad," said Leeson, of her foster son Angel Duenas, who died at a hospital.

"There is not a moment of my day where he's not on my mind. He was just such a beautiful and charming kid. I hate that he's dead."

Duenas is one of more than 200 children across the country who have strangled on window blind cords in the last 10 years, said state Del. Kirill Reznik (D-Dist. 39) of Germantown, who introduced "Angel's Law" last month in the House of Delegates. The measure will require new or replacement window coverings to be cordless on or after a certain date in foster homes, family day care homes, and child care centers.

A recent increase in the number of deaths caused by blind cords that can wrap around small children prompted the bill, Reznik said. Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village has introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

About once a month, a child between 7 months and 10 years old dies from window-cord strangulation and another child suffers a near strangulation, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, based in Rockville.

Two-year-old Thapelo Andre Kwofie of Damascus strangled in drapery cords in November. His family could not be reached for comment.

The commission recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit — and has recalled more than 5 million window coverings in recent years, including Roman shades, roller and roll-up blinds, and vertical and horizontal blinds.

"We basically said we're not going to be able to police everybody," Reznik said. "It's not something the government is capable of doing or some would argue should be doing."

The measure he has proposed aims to require any state or county agency that licenses family day care homes, foster homes or child care centers for safety and health to check for corded window blinds, Reznick said.

Leeson has been a foster and adopted parent for almost 12 years, she said. She has two adopted daughters, Hanna, 4, and Mairie-Kate, 11.

"I'm committed to not having another parent go through what I went through of walking in and finding your child hanging. It's just so horrific. And so many parents are so oblivious," she said. "They think that if you watched your kids better that wouldn't have happened and it's not the truth."

County social workers had inspected Angel's room the week before he died, Leeson. She always kept the window blinds up and tied the blinds' three cords in a half loop that she pulled up high. On Aug. 9, Hanna stood inside the window jamb and pulled the cords down.

She had seen a zip line on "Go Diego, Go!" a popular cartoon on Nickelodeon, the girl later told police. She and her brother wanted to play.

Leeson, who was folding laundry nearby, thought her son was asleep.

Fourteen children nationwide have strangled in cord blinds since April, Leeson said. She plans to speak at elementary schools and to PTAs about the eight most common ways children can die in window blind cords.

She also hopes to start The Angel Duenas Foundation in her son's honor, she said. The nonprofit will give people who need services one central place to get information on housing, clothing and day care assistance.

"Except in name he was my son," Leeson said of Angel. "He was my child in every sense of the word."

Free cord repair kits are available from the Window Covering Safety Council by calling 800-506-4636 or visiting windowcoverings.org. For additional safety information visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.