We only have a couple of weeks left in this legislative session and rather than attempting to impress voters with a long record of accomplishment, the strategy of the Senate leadership seems to be to avoid doing much of anything. That said, it is an Albany tradition to always seem to save most of the legislative work – for better or for worse – for the last few days, so I haven't completely given up hope that we can still get some important legislation passed.

Before the session began, I outlined a number of key priorities – issues that I hoped the pressure of a hotly contested election season might prompt action on – one of which was the Healthy Teens Act (S1342). This year the bill passed the Assembly on March 17 by a vote of 130 to 14, and passed the Senate Health Committee May 20 by a vote of 13-4. This is the farthest the Healthy Teens Act has ever come in the legislative process.  read more »

Earlier this week, Senate Republicans put forth legislation (S.7594-B) which would create a gas tax "holiday" from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I and many of my Democratic colleagues voted against this legislation because it is bad fiscal and environmental policy that will only result in windfall profits for oil companies and no real relief for consumers. My colleagues and I understand New Yorkers have been hit hard by rising fuel costs. However, what we need are not gimmicks, but carefully thought out policies that will create long-term solutions to the growing energy crisis facing our state and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

S.7594-B, introduced by Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), would exempt gasoline and diesel from the State's excise tax, Sales Tax, and Petroleum Business Tax, from May 23, 2008 to September 2, 2008. These taxes are currently used to provide funds for highways, roads, bridges, and mass transit. By suspending the taxes the Senate Republicans will create an estimated $600 million budget gap for these necessary services.  read more »

Last month, Democrat Darrel Aubertine, an upstate dairy farmer, won a special election for the 48th Senate District in northern New York, bringing the Democrats closer to control of the State Senate. This was an historic victory as the region had been represented by Republicans for more than 120 years.

One major line of attack developed during the campaign was that the Democrats only cared about New York City and downstate. This attack was false, and the voters clearly rejected it. Upstate has been represented almost exclusively by the GOP for decades and they haven’t done that great a job. I believe that, in countering this attack, Senator Aubertine and our Democratic colleagues in the State Senate have a real opportunity to move our state beyond the upstate/downstate rivalry, toward recognition of the ties that bind the diverse regions of our state together. Perhaps the greatest of these ties is agriculture, which is the foundation of the upstate economy and a critical piece of the downstate food supply. Strengthening our agricultural base and building stronger connections between food producers and food consumers in New York State must be a central part of the State’s economic development efforts. And since I want to see more Democrats elected upstate (and downstate too!) our party must demonstrate that we can be leaders in these efforts.  read more »

Last month an article titled "The Unborn Victims of Violence Act is Pro-Choice, But Protects Life" appeared in City Hall News, and was referenced in some blog entries. As an opponent of that bill I felt it important to respond. Below is an editorial being published this month in The Capitol, a new monthly paper covering state politics:

The goal of our State Legislature should be to serve the public good by passing laws that fix problems, fill loopholes, and protect New Yorker's rights. But sometimes there are bills that are riddled with errors, create new problems where none currently exist, or completely ignore the real problem at hand -- all because the sponsors have another, unstated, agenda.  read more »

This summer I introduced S6402, legislation to ban the use of styrofoam in the food service industry.

Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh has since signed on to carry the same-as version in his chamber, and it was recently announced that Westchester County will join the growing list of municipalities nationwide phasing out the use of this environmentally devastating, petroleum-based product.

This fall, supporters of the legislation will be engaging in a public education and outreach campaign to drum up support and help people understand why styrofoam products are bad and should avoided in their own lives. In fact, many of my colleagues will be joining me in writing to nearly 200 university and college presidents, asking them to voluntarily stop using styrofoam products on their campuses in favor of bioplastic alternatives.

Please join us and sign our new online petition and pass the information along to friends and family:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/banstyrofoamny/