In June 2005, the New York State Legislature passed a bill (A.4436/S.2232) that severely restricts the operator of an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) from pulling or towing a person on an inflatable device. The bill was sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (D-Ossining) and in the Senate by Senator Vincent Leibell (R-Patterson) and was signed by the Governor on August 23, 2005. Current Vehicle and Traffic law states that "no person shall ride on a sleigh, sled, toboggan or trailer which is being towed or trailed by an ATV unless attached by a rigid support, connection or towbar." The new law adds the words "inflatable device" to that section.

"This has been such a tragic accident in Putnam Valley," said Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. "Senator Leibell and I worked with our colleagues and the governor to get this legislation passed in order to prevent more such tragedies in the future. I commend the Strumke family for taking a lead on getting these new safety regulations adopted."

"We passed this law in memory of Dustin Strumke," stated Senator Leibell "and we are here to honor and remember him. One way we would like to do that is to alert people to the change in the law and to encourage them to act in a safe and responsible manner when using ATV's. If this new law saves even one life, then it will have served its purpose well."

Senator Leibell referred to the 2002 death of Dustin Strumke who was riding in an inflatable tube attached to a Quad 4 wheel drive vehicle by a 30 foot rope when the driver braked suddenly and the tube Dustin was riding in whipped around and struck a nearby tree. Dustin died 11 days later from head injuries sustained in the accident.

Mrs. Ruth Strumke, Dustin's grandmother, was present for the ceremony and accepted, on behalf of the family, a certificate from Assemblywoman Galef and Senator Leibell. The certificate was accompanied by the official pen that Governor Pataki used to sign the ATV legislation into law. Also attending were local officials and a group of students from Putnam Valley High School representing the Make a Difference Club. This club was responsible for creating the Dustin Strumke memorial garden at the Putnam Valley Park, where the event was held.