Individuals with disabilities and their family members will soon have a new way to save and plan for future expenses with the creation of the 529 Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program. The ABLE program is similar to the successful 529 College Savings Account program. ABLE accounts are a tax-advantaged savings account that individuals with disabilities can use to pay for qualified expenses.
A number of years ago, when asked about an ethics overhaul of the State executive branch, Governor Cuomo responded that such an overhaul wasn’t necessary because the ethical problems were in the state legislature. At the time, one could say that was true.
Last week, the NYS Comptroller released a report that indicates that over the last decade, student loan debt for New Yorkers has grown by more than $10,000 for the average borrower. According to the Brookings Institution, Americans now owe a record $1.3 trillion in student loans and student loans are second only to mortgages as the largest source of household debt. It is not a mystery why student debt is exploding.
One of the biggest legislative challenges in Albany is to make sure that there is parity in state spending between Upstate and Downstate New York. This is particularly challenging when it comes to transportation spending. Downstate New York relies on mass transit for its transportation needs, while in Upstate, we are much more reliant on our cars for our transportation needs. Accordingly, the needs of each region tend to be very different.
This month, community residents and organizations are working to raise awareness about suicide, to educate people about the signs and symptoms, and encourage people to reach out before it’s too late. Many of us have been personally affected by suicide and know a close family member or friend that has been lost to suicide. The stories are heartbreaking and often loved ones are left feeling confused, guilty, angry, hurt and deeply saddened by the loss.
Each school day, approximately 2.3 million students ride to school on some 50,000 school buses across the state. With the start of school this week in most Central and Northern New York communities, drivers are encouraged to slow down and to be on the lookout for children crossing near school buses, in neighborhoods, and around school zones. Taking a few extra moments and driving more cautiously can prevent a tragedy from occurring.
Recently, my office was contacted by a family member of a decorated soldier who had retired after serving 20 years in the Army at Fort Drum. In addition to serving the Army with distinction, he found the time to take college courses, earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and raise a family. Armed with the leadership experience from the military and his college degree, it seemed that transitioning into civilian life and finding his next career would be easy.
During the last week of session, the State Legislature passed a resolution to amend the State Constitution to permit the forfeiture of state pensions for those public officials convicted of a felony related to their public duties (e.g. bribery). This is a commonsense measure that should have passed last year. Unlike most other bills the State Legislature passes, in order for this reform to be enacted the State Constitution must be amended due to the fact that pension benefits are protected by the New York State Constitution.
New York State’s “Move Over Law” was recently expanded to better protect volunteer emergency responders attending to distressed or disabled vehicles along roads and highways. I was pleased to vote in support of the expansion which was signed into law last month and will become effective in 2017. The expanded law requires drivers to exercise ‘due care’ and, where possible, to move over when approaching a parked or stopped vehicle displaying blue or green lights.
Last week, Central New York received great news when, at its meeting in Albany, the state Public Service Commission adopted a plan to help Upstate New York’s struggling nuclear power plants. As most people in Oswego County know, our nuclear power plants (FitzPatrick and Nine Mile Units 1 and 2) have been struggling economically because of low natural gas prices.
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