Hochul Signs Bills by Stern, Gaughran

Two bills sponsored by local state legislators have been signed into law this week.

 Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation sponsored by State Sen. Jim Gaughran, S.1016-B, into law, which will help prevent sudden cardiac arrest in student athletes. The law came about from the death of Dominic Murray in 2009, who suffered sudden cardiac arreset while playing basketball. His mother has advocated for increased awareness of sudden cardiac arrest for more than a decade, educating school officials and the public on the warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.

The law will direct New York State to establish rules for the treatment and monitoring of students who exhibit signs or symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest. Identification of the warning signs is critical to preventing, sudden cardiac arrest.

Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry sponsored this law in the Assembly.

Gaughran said “Student athletes are uniquely vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is preventable, and this law is critical to identifying, and preventing, any more tragic loss like that of Dominic Murray. I thank Dominic’s mom, Melinda Murray-Nyack, and all of the other families and advocates, for championing this law and their tremendous efforts across New York State in helping to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest. Our student athletes are safer and healthier because of the work of Melinda Murray-Nyack.”

Melinda Murray-Nyack, founder and president of the Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation, said “More than 23,000 young people under age 18 die from sudden cardiac arrest every year. SCA is the #1 killer of student athletes and the leading cause of death on school campuses. The real tragedy is these deaths can be prevented. Primary prevention, which is the goal of Dominic’s law plays an indispensable role in helping to reduce this crisis.”

Assemblyman Steve Stern, D-Huntington,  and State Sen. John E. Brooks said that Hochul signed into law Thursday their legislation (Senate Bill S7152/Assembly Bill A6522) to prohibit the possession and sale of weapons disguised to look like toy guns.

“Gun violence is a public health and public safety crisis that must be dealt with aggressively,”  Hochul saud. “Working with partners at all levels, my administration will continue to crack down on the distribution and possession of dangerous weapons and put an end to the gun violence epidemic.”

“I am proud to sponsor this critically important legislation that will prohibit the design, manufacture and possession of disguised guns in New York State,” Stern said. “These first-strike weapons put our law enforcement personnel at a dangerous disadvantage in situations when they are facing down the barrel of a gun and have a split second to decide if it is a toy or a real weapon, a split second that could make the difference between life or death. This legislation will protect our entire community and save lives.”

“The misidentification of disguised guns as toys during law enforcement interactions significantly  increases the potential for serious injury or death, not only to those involved in the interactions but to the public at large,” said Daniel Fitzpatrick, president of the Suffolk County Detectives Association. “On
behalf of the Suffolk County Detectives Association, I would like to thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill into law and the sponsors of this bill, Assemblyman Steve Stern and Senator John Brooks, for partnering with law enforcement to finally correct a dangerous situation.”

In addition to their disguised gun measure, Governor Hochul also signed into law today two other historic initiatives to promote gun safety that Stern and Brooks helped pass:
• The Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act, which would prohibit the possession of unfinished
firearm frames and receivers
• The Jose Webster Untraceable Firearms Act, which would prohibit the possession of ghost guns.

Hochul Sworn in as 57th Governor of New York