A local member of the state delegation is proposing a new way to help essential personnel get to work during emergencies.
When driving bans were posted in and around Buffalo during last month's deadly snowstorm, some doctors, nurses and other key personnel were kept off the roads like everyone else. State Assembly member Michael Kearns says hospital ID cards weren't good enough. So, Kearns is proposing a new medical professional designation on New York's drivers licenses.
"If they are working with DMV and they are in the database, it's going to be much easier for those first responders to get that information, and to find out who should be on the road and who shouldn't be on the road," Kearns said.
Kearns says it would be optional for healthcare workers and other essential personnel to get the designation. He's asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to allow the change to driver's licenses through an executive order.