Spitzer signs anti-asthma legislation

Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, September 13, 2007

School buses will not be allowed to idle on school grounds and specialized asthma medication equipment will be installed in schools now that Gov. Eliot Spitzer has signed into law two significant pieces of legislation to help combat New York’s nation-topping asthma rates.

Schools with nurses will be required to maintain an asthma nebulizer on site for chronic asthmatic children. More than 2.3 million children are being exposed daily to toxic exhaust generated by diesel-powered school buses and thousands more are forced to leave school and go to Emergency Rooms or back home for access to asthma medication that can easily be given at school.

According to bill sponsor Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, “While we might not be able to cure this disease, we can most definitely help reduce the environmental triggers and help the children with acute asthma access their medication while in school. This new law clearly addresses the notion that sick children can not learn and takes steps to provide them with a healthier school environment.”