RICHMOND, Va., March 26 (UPI) -- Gov. Mark R. Warner signed anti-terrorism legislation Wednesday and issued an executive order under which the state will make up the salary difference for state workers called to active duty in the National Guard or military services.
"We should do all we can to make them financially whole," the governor said.
The policy, Executive Order 44, would provide supplemental pay to fill the difference between state employees' normal salary and their lower military pay.
Warner Press Secretary Ellen Qualls told United Press International that about 200 state employees have been called to active duty, at an estimated cost of $600,000.
The governor also urged the state's private sector to follow the lead of state government, for businesses that can afford to supplement the pay of active-duty members.
In a ceremony at Henrico Doctors' Hospital outside Richmond, Warner also signed anti-terrorism measures that were crafted by the governor's Secure Virginia Panel. The panel was headed by former Lt. Gov. John Hager.
The legislation would improve school safety, create a comprehensive database of health practitioners to be used during a catastrophic health emergency and allow trained personnel who are not physicians to administer medications in a medical disaster.
The bills also provide improved liability immunity for those giving medical care, except in cases of gross negligence.
Warner also signed a constitutional amendment that expands the list of successors to the governor should the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and speaker of the House of Delegates be killed in a terrorist attack.
"The security of our citizens, our economic well-being, and the stability of our society depend on our ability to adjust top 21st-century threats," said Warner.
The amendment must be approved again by the General Assembly next year and then go before the voters before it takes effect.
Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, who does not always see eye to eye with Warner, commended the governor for signing the legislation. He described the bills as measures to better protect Virginians and to ensure the continued operation of the government.
"This is an uncertain time in which we all live, and the measure of additional safety is important to put in place," he said. "No one should ever claim that any amount of preparation can protect us from an attack ... but it is incumbent upon the government of Virginia to take every precaution."
(Reported By Chris H. Sieroty in Washington)
