Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens), Chair of the NYS Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety, announced legislation (A.7910) to protect hotel workers from on-the-job assaults by requiring hotels to provide staff entering hotel rooms with electronic "alert" devises capable of notifying hotel security of an emergency.

As reported in Saturday's NY Times, hotel assaults are all too common, and many veteran housekeepers have stories of being groped or inappropriately propositioned by hotel guests while working alone in a hotel room.

"We can no longer send housekeepers into hotel rooms, isolated from other workers and hotel security, without giving them a means to immediately access help in the event of an assault," said Assemblyman Rory Lancman.

"As we have seen, workers in hotels often face dangerous situations alone," Said Peter Ward, President of the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council. "This reasonable proposal would ensure that thousands of hotel workers are not put at unnecessary risk."