With hurricane season underway, Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, lauded the passage of a bill in both the New York State Senate and Assembly that would give Long Island increased access to Red Cross workers in the case of a natural emergency. The legislation is currently awaiting enactment into law by Governor George E. Pataki.

According to Fuschillo, the legislation he sponsored would authorize state and local government employees to take paid leave from their jobs for limited periods of time to volunteer for Red Cross disaster leave assignments. Currently, 41 states have such a law already on their books.

Fuschillo added that under the new law, disaster leave would be authorized at the employer's approval, for a limited time period, and would be for trained Red Cross volunteers only.

"In case Long Island or any other part of the state faces an emergency where lives and property are endangered, such a law has proven that an increase in volunteers enhances the Red Cross' response time and ability to assist those in need," Fuschillo said.