NEW YORK (WBEN) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul will reportedly sign a bill on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 officially extending “first responder” status to all 911 operators and dispatchers across New York.
The New York Daily News reported the upcoming signing, which would allow dispatchers and operators to have the same designation as firefighters and police officers.
The bill is due to be signed at the Javits Center Saturday, according to the report.
New York unions have been behind efforts for the designation for several years, as it would give the workers greater access to different kinds of financial support.
The bill passed in the state’s Legislature earlier in the summer in a unanimous vote.
“Emergency operators and dispatchers are undoubtedly the first responders of first responders, serving at the center of emergency events 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Suffolk Association of Municipal Employees President Daniel Levler told the Long Island Press.