Relatives of a Shirley toddler who drowned in a neighbor's pool last week voiced support Tuesday for a bill requiring alarms on all Suffolk pools.

Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) sponsored the bill, which could come to a vote as early as August. Cooper said it is the homeowner's responsibility to go the extra step for safety after investing so much to build a pool.

Relatives of 3-year-old Anthony Muniz expressed their support for the bill, labeled "Anthony's Law," at a Suffolk Legislature meeting in Smithtown. Anthony's Law would require all existing in-ground and aboveground pools to be equipped with alarms.

New York State law requires pools built after December 2006 to have alarms. It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of pools built before that date in Suffolk County.

Last Wednesday, Muniz climbed over the gate surrounding a neighbor's pool, police said. The incident occurred three houses down from the Auborn Avenue home of his mother, Denise Morrisette. Friends and family laid the toddler to rest Monday.

"Maybe if some good comes out of this, I think the family would be very much comforted by that," Vincent Brand, the victim's great uncle, said.

If passed, the law would take effect next year.

Related Information: Shirley toddler drowns in neighbor's backyard pool Safe Kids Worldwide - Preventing Accidental Injury