Tax Free Go Bag Legislation Delayed Till '09

Legislation now before the New York State Assembly that would make purchases of specific Go Bag supplies tax free during the first 11 days of September has been delayed, according to 73rd District Assemblymember Jonathan Bing, who introduced the bill in May. "Emergency preparedness awareness is important to me which is why I proposed this legislation," said Bing. "Unfortunately, current budget challenges presented difficulties to passage this session. I look forward to raising emergency preparedness awareness in the mean time and getting this bill passed in the next session." The bill, officially titled A.11206, would also declare September to be "Emergency Preparedness Month" in the state of New York. This September Bing's office will be working with local CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams), the Red Cross, the Office of Emergency Management and the Mayor's office to host events educating city residents on disaster preparedness.