New York State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. recently announced the introduction of legislation to address growing violence involving spectators at sporting events. This bill follows a recent incident wherein an Oceanside man assaulted a Cold Spring Harbor teen participating in a junior-varsity ice hockey game.

"Sports and athletics foster values such as good sportsmanship and teamwork while enabling young people to prepare themselves to be fair competitors in the world that lies ahead," Fuschillo said. "Recent 'sports rage' occurrences have shocked many parents and sports enthusiasts. This legislation would help protect athletes, parents, officials, spectators and others at sporting events from those whose excessive obsession causes them to lose self-control and become a danger to others."

Under existing state law, an assault committed by a spectator at an athletic event is subject to a class A misdeameanor - punishable by up to one year in jail. As sponsored by Senator Fuschillo, such an incident at a sports event or contest would aggravate the offense to a class E felony. This would raise the maximum penalty to four years in prison.

On Feb. 28, Robert Schmitt burst onto the ice with 21 seconds remaining in a junior-varsity hockey game between Oceanside and Cold Spring Harbor at the Iceworks in Syosset. Before he was forcibly removed from the ice, the Oceanside man grabbed a 15-year-old player from Cold Spring Harbor in a chokehold and knocked down an official. While neither the player nor the official were seriously injured, the man was arrested and charged with third-degree assault.

On March 22, two parents of high school hockey players on a team from South Brunswick, New Jersey assaulted a parent from a Pennsylvania squad and, only eight weeks earlier, similar charges were filed against a coach whose youth hockey team was playing at the same rink. Last year, the father of a high school hockey player in Massachusetts killed another parent at a game.

Although these episodes each involved high school and youth sports programs, an incident at a Major League Baseball game last September garnered international attention. On Sept. 19, a 34-year-old man and a teenager physically assaulted Kansas City Royals' first-base coach Tom Gamboa during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. This is the most recent example of a series of similar occurrences in professional baseball.

Accordingly, this legislation would apply to both professional and amateur sporting events and impose heightened penalties for "sports rage" assaults by fans on players, officials, other spectators and any other person within the athletic venue, parking areas or grounds.

Senator Fuschillo announced recently that the New York State Senate approved a comprehensive plan that would make it easier for families to communicate with loved ones serving overseas, provide important salary protections for state employees serving in the military, and provide additional educational benefits to servicemen and women from New York State who are fighting in the war in Iraq and the ongoing war against terrorism.

According to Fuschillo, the plan to support our troops and their families includes legislation the Senate introduced several weeks ago, as well as benefits the Senate initiated for servicemen and women involved in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and for emergency personnel impacted by the attacks on September 11, 2001, along with proposals introduced recently by Governor Pataki.

"These heroic citizen soldiers make tremendous sacrifices by leaving their country, families and jobs, and they deserve our profound gratitude and unwavering support," Fuschillo said. "Our troops shouldn't have to sacrifice their financial security and ability to provide for their families as well."

Included in Fuschillo's plan are laws that would:

* provide facilities for teleconferencing between New York residents in active military service and their families.

* subsidize the mailing of one package per month from the family of a resident of New York on active duty to their family member on active duty.

* negotiate bulk telephone service rates for residents of New York in military service.

* provide supplemental pay provisions for state employees on active duty that require the state to make up the difference between a person's regular job and their military pay.

* require that members of the organized militia ordered into the active service of the State be paid by electronic fund transfer.

* require the waiver of all professional continuing education requirements for persons ordered into active military service.

* establish combat veteran and war on terrorism scholarships for children, spouses and dependents of New York military personnel killed during the war on terrorism or during military action in Iraq.

* establish an education military leave of absence and tuition relief program which requires colleges and universities to provide a leave of absence to students called to active duty.

* expand anti-discrimination protections against military personnel.

"This legislation recognizes that we understand our troops' efforts in defending our nation and shows support for their patriotism," Fuschillo said. "We want to do all we can to give peace of mind to our troops so they can focus on the enormous and dangerous challenges they face, and peace of mind to their families."