By Suk Yee Ng

HUNTER COLLEGE, May 14 -- The Welfare Rights Initiative continues to lobby for a change in the state law to assist students on welfare. The initiative's bill, if passed, would enable students who are supported by public assistance to count their federal work study and internship hours toward their Workfare requirement, said Maureen Lane, the initiative's coordinator of community organizations.

The initiative is in for a long battle. Roberto Ramirez (D-Bronx), chair of the assembly's social services committee, has told Lane that the bill is currently in the drafting stage. It then must be assigned a bill number before Ramirez introduces it. That process is expected to take at least two months.

Even if the bill is approved by the Democrat-controlled assembly, it will face rough going in the Republican-dominated senate.

"It's been a frustrating process but we have come quite far," Lane said. She explained that the bill was originally submitted to assemblyman Steve Englebright of Suffolk County for introduction last year. While it was with Englebright, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani implemented new regulations to his Workfare program. Because New York City was compelling all recipients to participate in Workfare, including students, Lane and the initiative had to re-draft the language in the bill to address this issue and sent it on to assemblyman Ramirez.

The initiative staff is waiting for a positive response, Lane said, but is not resting until they get one. They've been out rallying for support from the student body and various other political figures. "Senator Michael Spano has been supportive of the issue but has not said he will sponsor it yet," Lane added.

In order to place more pressure on political figures to support, sponsor and vote for their bill, the students of the initiative made presentations to 16 Hunter classes in May, explaining the need for the bill. They also brought letters that urge assembly members and senators to support their bill. Each letter was signed by individual students. The initiative will sort them by the student's address and then mail them to the correct assembly member.

"It was an extraordinary organizing effort by the students," "We got over 500 signatures," said Lane. "The students in the initiative did a tremendous job."